Action wanted over hospital parking chaos
OFFICIALS running Staffordshire's biggest hospital are to be summoned to a meeting to discuss parking problems at the site.
Executives from the University Hospital of North Staffordshire will be quizzed about how the parking chaos at the Hartshill complex can be resolved.
Members of Newcastle Borough Council's health scrutiny committee have demanded the meeting after experiencing the parking chaos.
The hospital plans to add 300 spaces to its existing 1,900 by next year – but warns problems will first get worse because some old buildings need to be demolished.
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Scrutiny committee member David Loades said: "I have had to drive around for 45 minutes to park and I don't see signs of improvement.
"We need someone here not to tell us there's a problem which we know already – but how it will be tackled.
"If it takes four years fair enough but we need to be told."
The concerns come as the hospital is to increase parking charges for patients and visitors from £2 for four hours to £3. Planned new parking charges for staff are postponed until October following workers' protests.
5 Comments
by Basha
Saturday, February 16 2013, 12:57PM
“"There is no justification in charging patients £3 for 4 hours. Most patients need to park only for 2 hours. There should be charge for 2 hours, 4 hours and full day. Most visitors will park for less than 2 hours. So A suggested parking tariff would be:
£2 for 2 hours
£4 for 4 hours
£6 for all day).
INFORM PATIENTS ON CLINIC APPOINTMENT LETTER TO PAY FOR 2 HOURS.
Let the hospital be sensible once again just like they have been about the staff car parking. Staff car parking charges can never be linked to a percentage of staff salary. The person who dreamt this should now wake up. Most dreams are not true.
Many NHS hospitals charge a reduced rate after 8PM and on Sundays for visitors. In Stoke-on-Trent public transport after 8PM and on Sundays and Bank Holidays is not very frequent. Visitors on these days have to use their cars to come to hospital to see their relatives and friends who are admitted to the hospital for their illness.
So let have some common sense here too:
8Pm - 6AM Weekdays and on Sundays and Bank Holidays, reduce charges for visitors to a flat rate of £1 including the blue badge holders."
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by Basha
Friday, February 15 2013, 8:55PM
“Cooljay, This hospital would not have lost its highly capable Finance Director and a very good Chief Executive if it was built by the public funds and not PFI.
PFI hospitals are not fit for the future.”
by cooljay
Friday, February 15 2013, 6:03PM
“Basha, You are missing a big point of interest.
This hospital is a PFI Hospital and has lost the chief ex and Finance dir and needs more patients that bring in money not costly A and E patients.
It is designed to fail not enough beds or operating rooms.
The eye clinics are sending patients to private clinics.
The debt can only get worse and the lack of parking just shows what total lack of support the managers are giving. This would never ever happen at Tesco's as they understand parking is essential but the manages are not capable to resolve car parking how can they resolve the more complex problems.!!!
Too small badly designed and un fixable!!! But all the managers signed this project as fit for purpose and good value?
Many many depts have long waits and thus under C and B patients will go to other providers.
Moreover this causes the figures to get worse and the trust does nothing other than reduce the pay and number of staff.
How many managers have gone?”
by Basha
Friday, February 15 2013, 5:26PM
“Parking for patients and visitors at NHS hospitals in Wales and in Scotland is free.
Parking for patents and hospital staff at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire is said to be in line with NHS confederation "fair for all not free for all" 2009 policy.
The Hospital has not followed the following two principles of the above policy:
Be open and involve patients and the public
Show car park and transport costs and how charges are invested
When the hospital announced that from 1st April 2013 they will increase charges for patients and visitors to £3 for four hours no public consultation had taken place.
Because of the protest of the hospital staff the increase for hospital staff has been withdrawn and is now on the discussion table.
Patients parking charges should be discussed with the public first and the proposed increase from 1st April 2013 should be withdrawn.”
by crazycomment
Friday, February 15 2013, 1:44PM
“Perhaps the "Council's health scrutiny committee " could talk to the planning committee about the limit on spaces that they imposed on the site. If the hospital were allowed to build a coupld of decent multi story car parks the parking issues could be solved, but as I understand it planning blocked this and so there will never be enough parking.”