Years more misery of hospital parking

THE parking crisis at the region's biggest hospital will continue for years, the chairman of the trust says.

Mike Brereton was talking to Stoke-on-Trent city councillors yesterday about the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust gaining foundation status and how he hoped the change would address problems such as catering, cleaning and parking.

Councillor John Daniels quizzed him about the need for multi-storey parking.

"As a foundation trust, will one of your priorities be to build adequate multi-storey parking, because at the minute you are a bit like an airport with no runway?" he asked. "With 7,000 staff who need parking, you have a problem 24/7. You have adequate land to sort it out, so please get your infrastructure to work."

Mr Brereton admitted there was a problem but said it was a consequence of building a £400 million complex.

He said: "We are building a new hospital while still treating 600,000 patients a year. We have got phasing problems with the build and we are going to have a problem with parking for years.

"We always knew this. The new hospital will have a great deal of parking space but I do have to share with you that we are going to have a problem continually until then.

"It's not that there isn't the space, it's that the space keeps moving with the building phases. I get more earache about parking than most other things."

Councillor David Sutton said: "I have heard of hospital staff arriving at the hospital two hours before their shift starts just so they can get a space. It seems such a shame they are having to extend their working day just for a parking space."

If the foundation status change goes ahead, public members of the hospital board will be able to hold the directors to account.

Consultation about the change started in September and the closing date for feedback is next weekend. If there is enough backing, it could go ahead as early as next year.

There will be three more public drop-in sessions: at the Walton Community Centre in Stone on Monday, Victoria Hall in Kidsgrove on Wednesday and Longton Central Hall on Friday.