Fury over University Hospital of North Staffordshire's parking charge rise
PARKING charges are going up at Staffordshire's biggest hospital, The Sentinel can reveal.
The increase will see the minimum four-hour charge at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire rise from £2 to £3 from April.
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COSTLY: The parking fees will rise at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.
And disabled blue badge holders will have to pay to park at the Hartshill centre for the first time.
In a further move announced by the hospital last night, the £6.11-a-month staff parking permit will be scrapped and replaced with a sliding payment scale depending on individual salaries.
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Unhappy patients and visitors last night criticised the decision to put up the charges.
Latest available figures show the hospital pocketed £716,000 in parking charges in 2010/11.
Thirty-year-old Npower employee, Anthony Tweedie, from Hartshill, said he was shocked by the news.
He said: "It seems excessive, the charges seemed a lot in the first place at £2 but a 50 per cent rise is a big increase.
"The surrounding residential streets are always full of cars and I don't blame people for not wanting to park there."
Bar manager, Ben Robinson, aged 28, from Newcastle, regularly visits the hospital with a relative.
He said: "From £2 to £3 is such a huge rise and will greatly affect me and I am sure many other people.
"I think it is silly that taxpayers have to pay hospital car parking charges at all considering that we pay for the NHS, through our own money. And the fact that staff are made to fork out, as well, is disgusting."
Andrew Moreton, aged 27, from Cobridge, regularly has to take a family member to the hospital.
He said: "I have to come here quite a lot which ends up costing me a fortune.
"It is bad enough that patients and families have to spend so much to visit but staff should not have to pay to come to work." Parking charges have not risen at the hospital for six years.
Long-stay charges will not increase, while the £3.40-a-week concessionary parking permit will remain the same.
Exemptions will continue for cancer and kidney patients. More than 1,900 parking spaces are set aside for patients and visitors – with 300 more planned next year.
Staff use a separate 1,300-space parking area.
Hospital spokesman Andrew Ashcroft said: "It is important that we are able to keep parking fees low for patients, visitors and staff.
"However, we need to ensure the creation and maintenance of parking spaces does not impact on the finances allocated for direct patient care for a hospital that treats more than 600,000 patients a year."
22 Comments
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by Kenny95
Friday, January 25 2013, 12:24PM
“THETROJAN
I was at the hospital for an outpatients appointment in December, but I admit I didn't notice the drop of points.
Very glad to hear that they have them as I'm due for a day op & won't be allowed to leave without somebody coming to collect me (due to the anasthetic)
If the wife can't get a spot in the drop of point to come and collect me I will be happy to stay overnight or until they can trust me to leave by myself so I can wait for her to pick me up.
I still would like to see some options on the parking meter though. I imagine some appointments must be missed if cars are parking for long periods on the drop off point and people wanting to use the drop of point to drop off don't have the change to pay for 4 hours parking.”
by valiantman
Friday, January 25 2013, 10:47AM
“Another kick in the teeth for hard pressed hospital visitors.
I don't recall anyone's pay going up by 50% in a single year yet these people think they can use visitors and patients as a cash cow. It was too much already, it takes 10 minutes to find anywhere to park on what is effectively a building site, and now it's going up by a very large amount in one fell swoop. A lot of people don't even require or need a 4-hour ticket so why don't we have 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hour tickets, etc. We all know why don't we? It wouldn't coin in enough money. I'm sure the local roads and pavements will become even more clogged up and congested. Perhaps next year they can hit the magic £1 million from parking charges and give themselves a gold badge.”
by vasbert
Thursday, January 24 2013, 10:40PM
“Why worry? Just park in the residential areas around the Hospital, doesn't matter that you make residents lives a misery, parking over their drives etc.”
by bobble1956
Thursday, January 24 2013, 9:41PM
“http://tinyurl.com/bc7s683
Seems the only thing that has really changed is clamping which has been outlawed. As for parking invoice they cannot enforce if you do not supply the name of the driver. Reading the above and the legislation, seems the motorist is home free again for a change.
So basically if they send you a penalty notice refuse to name the driver and there is previous little that they can do.
However I must make it clear that I can not condone any sort of law breaking.”
by stokieatheart
Thursday, January 24 2013, 8:16PM
“I used to work for UHNS and would you believe the staff parking is one of the best and cheapest compared to other Trusts in the country. I've visited many trusts and the majority do not have on site parking for staff, its usually park and ride. Plus the majority are on this sliding scale permit charge, or charge anywhere between £150-£300 per year and still do not gurantee parking. The trust I currently work for is on a sliding scale and in the 6 months since I started I've managed to park on site approx 30 times!!!
Now when I visit the trust I've never had a problem parking on the visitor car park, they do have drop off points too, however I dont agree with the blue badge fee.”
by THETROJON
Thursday, January 24 2013, 7:48PM
“Kenny 95
when was the last time you went to the hospital??
they do have drop of points so no charge
problem the patients that park there for hours mucking the whole system up ...”
by flipflopbob
Thursday, January 24 2013, 7:02PM
“I am surprised to read that staff at the Trust will be charged for parking based upon a sliding payment scale depending on individual salaries. Surely from an organisation that champions equality this can only be seen as an error in principle. This almost certainly promotes discrimination?
If there is to be an increase in rate then should this not be the same for all staff?
A parked car is a parked car.”
by staffie76
Thursday, January 24 2013, 5:41PM
“I despair! I am a member of staff and I regularly have to pay to park and that is on top of also paying for a staff parking permit (which I believe is also going up!) Me and many of my colleagues have no choice but to pay - either that or you end up wandering round dimly lit areas late at night or starting your shift an hour early, just so you can park!”
by sunshineaims
Thursday, January 24 2013, 5:11PM
“The Unions have not agreed, they were not consulted on this, a meeting is being arranged with staff in the next few weeks to discuss the issue. Staff can't park as it is, so a price increase really is not popular”
by sheltongirl
Thursday, January 24 2013, 4:28PM
“The health service relies on friends and family to take care of patients, accompany them to appointments, look after them on discharge. Nurses moan "why don't relatives visit more?" - look at the cost of parking! It could well be £6 a day now, £42 a week, £168 per month, unless you have found out (by chance) about long term parking, and we've been told when an elderly relative was in that the long term changes were just for children on paeds. I disagree with blue badge holders being charged. People with blue badges have mobility issues which means they are unable to travel by public transport to appointments. Why should they be penalised further for being disabled?”