Hospital visit just cost us £30

IvanOpinion

Maybe there is an argument that we brought this on ourselves. When hospital car parks were free they were badly abused and therefore patients could not get parked or the more ignorant ones just blocked somebody else in. We also demand more and more services from hospitals all of which have to be funded ... people are making more use of hospitals, they are busier, more poeple means more parking needs ... some hospitals do not have space to expand.

I think we just have to accept that paying for parking at hospitals is one of those necessary evils ... alternatively maybe they should stick a little bit extra onto the council tax to cover free parking?

Ivan

redux

There was an infamous case here many years ago, not long after the hospital car park management was let to a separate firm. A woman visited her terminally ill husband several times. On her last visit, he was selfish enough to survive 3 hours longer than the time she had paid for, and she was wheel-clamped and faced with about £150 bill from the cowboys involved. I think they eventually lost the contract after a long list of similar occurrences.

Voyager2002

bootman wrote:

Hospital car park charges are so unfair.

My mum has just been diagnosed with cancer. Which means not only will I have to take her to the hospital which is a 60 mile round trip I will have to pay the parking fees every day. We have been told to experct to have to make at least 60 visits over the course of her treatment.

Its just outrageous. Making money out of sick people.

Why outrageous?

Supposing that you visited her by bus, would you expect to be let off the bus fare?

It costs a lot to provide car parks, money that could be (better?) spent on improved patient care. If you feel that the charges are unreasonably high, then there are plenty of other ways to move around, most of which would be healthier than driving.

Just be thankful that you don't have to pay for the treatment.

cheekymole

Voyager2002 wrote:

Why outrageous?

Supposing that you visited her by bus, would you expect to be let off the bus fare?

It costs a lot to provide car parks, money that could be (better?) spent on improved patient care. If you feel that the charges are unreasonably high, then there are plenty of other ways to move around, most of which would be healthier than driving.

Just be thankful that you don't have to pay for the treatment.

That was a bit harsh don't you think?
If you were in the same situation, I think you would have a gripe too.
I was disgusted last week when I had to pay £2 parking at a hospital. If the government..............
................I won't get into that one or we'll be here all day

and patient care would not improve whether we have parking charges or not

themadbird

Sorry to hear your bad news

Just a thought - but when my nan was diagnosed with stomach cancer, my mum contacted the DSS (or whatever they call it now) and they gave my nan Attendance Allowance or something as it was a terminal illness (I think at the time she got about £40 a week to help with stuff like that). Don't quote me on it though, because I can't remember as it was nearly 10 years ago, but it might be worth phoning them and finding out if she's entitled to anything?

Anniek1969

I agree with Ivanopion I think to some extent we have brought these charges on ourselves by abusing the free parking in these places. The hospital we were visiting is in a very busy part of the west end of Glasgow with the Art Galleries (which is closed at the moment) and the Kelvin Hall and Transport museum next to it. Neither of these places have very large carparks so I don't doubt that people would use the hospital car park.

Our hospital was built in the late 1800's so there was obviously no plans made for parking and because of where it's situated they can't extend the car park any further, they've even got an undergound carpark but for the size of the hospital it's still not enough. Unfortunatley we just have to put up with it but I do think that charging for hospital car parks (I don't know of any that charge in Glasgow but I could be wrong) is wrong as some people need their car to get to the hospital. When my daughter was in 3 years ago to have her appendix out we had a newborn and the hospital is at the top of a large hill so it was definately easier for us to use the car.

It's probably a way for the hospital to bring in some revenue, the company that patrol the car park must pay the hospital something from the money they make so the person responsible for the hospital budget probably just sees this as another way to put money into the pot. They'll probably have a free parking permit which goes with the job so it won't matter to them how much people have to pay.

kenshaz

IvanOpinion wrote:

Maybe there is an argument that we brought this on ourselves. When hospital car parks were free they were badly abused and therefore patients could not get parked or the more ignorant ones just blocked somebody else in. We also demand more and more services from hospitals all of which have to be funded ... people are making more use of hospitals, they are busier, more poeple means more parking needs ... some hospitals do not have space to expand.

I think we just have to accept that paying for parking at hospitals is one of those necessary evils ... alternatively maybe they should stick a little bit extra onto the council tax to cover free parking?

Ivan

Please disclose the source of the information on abused car-parks or examples of ignorant sick people or visitors,we pay for our NHS at source,we will all need its services one time or another,and for a Trust to profit from sickness,and use the money to pay for their mis-management,and admin is likened to a market place not a sanctury for the sick.Well we have to make use of our hospitals because we have no choice,and that is the moral argument against charges.We do not have to accept the evil,we are the masters,national insurance has increased,we have have paid extra.Council tax does not fund the NHS

krisskross

kenshaz wrote:

Please disclose the source of the information on abused car-parks or examples of ignorant sick people or visitors,we pay for our NHS at source,we will all need its services one time or another,and for a Trust to profit from sickness,and use the money to pay for their mis-management,and admin is likened to a market place not a sanctury for the sick.Well we have to make use of our hospitals because we have no choice,and that is the moral argument against charges.We do not have to accept the evil,we are the masters,national insurance has increased,we have have paid extra.Council tax does not fund the NHS

Yes we do pay through National Insurance for our medical care. However N.I. does not cover car parking charges and either should it. I find it totally amazing that people expect everything to be free once they walk through a hospital gates....from pyjamas to toiletries to food and now car parking.

The hospital I used to work in did however provide free parking to relatives of very sick patients, wonder if the OP has discussed this possibility with the staff?

Sim_2

The relationship between a the Hospital and local authority on parking is an interesting one. Our local hospital was expanded with the local council stipulating the number of additional spaces allowed, and insisting that parking had to be managed - it's this management that costs. I would argue that few Trusts make a real profit from car parking.

As to the issue that NHS parking should be universally free - I would rather my tax went towards a new kidney machine than to pay for a well lit parking space for someones Jaguar.

kenshaz

Voyager2002 wrote:

Why outrageous?

Supposing that you visited her by bus, would you expect to be let off the bus fare?

It costs a lot to provide car parks, money that could be (better?) spent on improved patient care. If you feel that the charges are unreasonably high, then there are plenty of other ways to move around, most of which would be healthier than driving.

Just be thankful that you don't have to pay for the treatment.[/QUOTEP
Perhaps it would be healthier for you to go on walking holidays ,rather than flights,useng aviation fuel,pollution ,noise,yes there are plenty of ways to get around ,start useing them.