Being pregnant is so expensive!- Hospital parking!

[HJWT]

Without even THINKING about the baby stuff, bigger clothes etc.... HOSPITAL PARKING! 🤣 iv spent £10 this week on parking! I guess it doesn't apply to people who only go for 2 scans and then to the hospital to give birth but iv been sooo many times iv spent a fortune 😬

Firstimpressionsofearth I have mentioned patient transport twice now? Assuming you don’t know what it is since you seem to be thinking it’s the same as public transport. It’s not, it is a very valuable service for getting people who are ill/disabled/frail to hospital, and it is IMHO a better cause to subsidise than parking.

(I can’t drive due to a disability. I still had to get to hospital...)

Qualifying for patient transport isn’t easy in most areas though.

As I have said before on these threads a lot of the issues could be sorted with a properly run park and ride so those who don’t need to be on site can park elsewhere and get in easily

I agree @HJWT being pregnant is expensive. There are lots of things which I think we are encouraged to do as mums to be (relaxation, exercise classes, hypnobirthing etc) that cost a lot of money . If you dont do it, you are somehow made to feel less than.

I dont drive (through choice) but have found public transport just doesnt work some days when Im too exhausted but have to get somewhere so that means expensive taxis or not going. Im lucky my hospital is close to home though so that is a blessing.

Ive been thinking recently how it would be a great help to many of us if child benefit was payable from say week 24 of pregnancy to help meet the additional costs. I know people will say why should takes be used for such a thing but good prenatal care prevents longer term ill health consequences for both mum and baby and that is likely to save money in the long run. Alternatively antenatal care needs to be really wracked up a gear and provided free at the point of use so that everyone can access the right support when pregnant.

*taxes - not takes

We have a similar problem with cost of parking coupled with the ‘local’ hospital being in the next county and public transport to get there would mean 1 1/2 to 2 hours each way as only 1 route covers from our semi rural market town into the city and then 1 route from the city to the hospital. I have had 3 appointments at the hospital in the last 2 weeks and have another scan and appointment next week. Not a lot of choice apart from driving to the hospital and, because of the size of it compared to the number of spaces available, you can wait up to an hour to get a space on site. There is no local parking surrounding the hospital as it’s in amongst main roads, business parks and hotels all of whom have parking patrols and application only parking availability. Unfortunately there seems to be few options of how to address the poor parking - if it were free then people working in the business parks etc would take up the spaces; public transport would need to be improved but there’s no funding for that as in many parts of the UK. More car parks on site would help - except they keep closing them to build new clinical buildings on the space!!

Unfortunately @53rdWay, patient transport services are very difficult to qualify for and, even if you do qualify and get referred (where we used to live the GP surgery had to refer patients to the transport services) actually getting transport to appointments is very hit and miss. A number of times my mother was either collected late, not collected at all despite being booked on transport or was collected and then missed her appointments because the different places the 1 minibus had to collect from en route to the hospital. One time I got a call at 7pm asking if I was free to collect her from the hospital as the transport department had closed for the day and they’d still hadn’t collected her from the outpatients waiting area - someone has ticked her off the list of waiting to be collected despite her never being spoken to by them. When she asked a clinic nurse to chase up as she’d been sat there for 2 hours they rang through to be told the department was closed and there was no way to organise out of hours transport for her - I had to leave work early causing my employer a headache in needing to cover my evening calls to drive and get her and take her home. And the transport department the following day fobbed us off saying she must have gone wandering round the hospital and missed them coming to collect her, or had told them she would make her own way home and how common that was with dementia patients (one thing she didn’t have was dementia or capacity issues, just a physical disability meaning she couldn’t use public transport and needed a door to door service).

Unfortunately @53rdWay, patient transport services are very difficult to qualify for

Yes! Exactly! Which is why I think more money should be spent on them!

Look, here’s how it is:

• the group of ‘people who can drive and have their own cars’ is as a whole better off than the group of ‘people who can’t drive and/or can’t afford their own cars’

• people who can’t drive are already spending more money and time to get to the hospital;

• so if the NHS can only subsidise one of those groups, I’d rather it subsidised the ones who are already paying more to get to hospital, and additionally are already likely to be poorer as a whole than the other group.

Expand patient transport, better public transport routes to hospitals, free shuttle buses from town centres. That benefits everyone and frees up car parking space for staff and for patients who do need to get there via private car. Spend the money currently being used to facilitate free hospital parking on that instead.

Parking further away and walking isn’t an option at all hospitals. It was at the hospital I gave birth to my first three DC in but not my last one, not at all. Also have to bear in mind women with HG or PGP will not want to walk longer.

It is extortionate.

@53rdWay

I'm sorry but it doesn't matter how good you make public transport or patient transport. The only people using it will be those that have no other choice. The vast majority of people will drive or get a lift. Because most people don't live close to a hospital and even those that do don't want to take public transport when they are ill.

I agree that there should be a decent transport option for people that can't drive or get a lift, but people parking shouldn't have to subsidize that. Just because you have a car it does not mean you have lots of money. You may be making sacrifices elsewhere to afford that car, or it may be a motobility car. There is no reason a hospital can't have both free or very low cost parking and good patient transport for those that need it.

"There is no reason a hospital can't have both free or very low cost parking and good patient transport for those that need it"

Absolutely agree @Firstimpressionsofearth nnow if only the government would get the finger out and sort the mess we are in.

If you're worried about a tenner for parking you had seriously better start saving for when the baby arrives!

@fraxion despite the lovely car park you still can't get parked outside the matty unless you are very lucky!

@fraxion despite the lovely car park you still can't get parked outside the matty unless you are very lucky!

Yes, the parking at the matty is particularly bad and the new car park isn't that handy for it! I haven't used the car park yet as I usually walk or get a lift to appointments, not the matty though, I'm a bit past that need

If there's no free parking within a 15 minute walk then there would be no space in the hospital car park either if it was free.
If parking is free then they should also provide subsidised public transport for patients - very unfair otherwise.

The car park is good but I was late for my 20 week scan as my circling didn't pay off and I can only walk so fast already!

I really resented that because I had severe pgp and it took me at least 15 minutes to walk the 100 metres into the hospital (with my crutches) that I would always inevitably pay for two hours of parking (don't forget the walk back) for a simple appointment. No one else had to pay for as much for the same appointment... Price was about £4 an hour...

Personally I think it is a small price to pay when our actual care is covered by taxes.

That being said our hospital DO get the parking money so it's not going to a private company.

I agree. Physically I couldn’t manage to park at another car park and walk (which is a trek) and with various complications. It often costs me £4 in parking every time I go and atm I’m going multiple times a week. I too wouldn’t mind so much if the nhs actually got the money.

IMO paying should be on exit of car park and you should be given a voucher from the doctor or nurse you see at the hospital for the apt or when visiting someone to limit the cost to a more minimal fee and then increase hugely the cost of anyone parking not for purposes of the hospital. This would reduce people using hospital car parks for non hospital visits. It would also feel fairer to those spending a lot on parking at what is often a very stressful period (eg visiting a very sick relative).

My hospital only do reduced parking costs for those undergoing chemotherapy or when you’re in for labour.

Just to clarify, my local hospital 5 mins from my house has shut the maternity unit and wont be re open until next year so I travel an hour away (in the car thank god) and there is NO parking within a 30 minute walk of the maternity unit other than the hospital which has cameras everywere and no park and ride etc! Also if you park on the local booths you get a fine so 🤦🏻‍♀️ £20 in fuel and £5.50 in parking every time I go in, this week baby wouldn't show his spine so had to go back twice to be scanned again!

Its great saying do this or "your being ridiculous" but iv spent over £60 this week going to the hospital 🤷🏻‍♀️

@VapeVamp12 I used to work at the hospital I am going to but they have sold the parking to a private company now hence the ridiculous price of parking x

I spent over £20 staying for 9 hours when my DP had something wrong with his heart. His dad and brother couldn't stay so I stayed with him.. and paid the price!

Turns out DP had pre-work out and a fucking coffee together. Dumbass costs me a fortune for a bloody caffeine overdose.

@OKBobble no need to make shitty comments is there ? Id much rather spend £60 on my baby than car parking 🙄

@PregnantOnPurpose haha love that 😂 DH had flu in Jan cost me a bomb in parking and food x

@IceBearRocks Fingers crossed baby is not disabled eh!!!!!

Thats just cruel, my DM niece and 2 nephews are disabled and my DS has a chance of having the same problem so yes I do have my fingers crossed 😡