Hospital Car Parking

System

I'm a med student who's sometimes at the Walsgrave hospital in Coventry. At the Walsgrave parking is free for up to the first hour; I know this won't always be appropriate so don't shout at me but if you were to move your car half way through a 2 hour visit or visit more regularly but for just under an hour you could save yourself the fee, at the Walsgrave anyways. I know this won't work at many hospitals - not at the Warwick, but its worth checking on your way past the ticket machines especially if you have to visit regularly!

System

Have any of you stopped to think about the consequences of dodging much needed parking fees at your local hospital.

ALL NHS hospitals set budget for car parking income - without which there would be a significant hole in their expenditure plans.

Admittedly, parking fees are not popular, and all NHS managers would rather not have to rely on them as a matter of course. However, they are there and they are a vital component of hospital income.

Indeed - most of the profits from parking are ploughed back into improved car park security - CCTV, regular patrols etc.

I am mailing the administrators of this site to ask that this post is removed as it is grossly unhelpful to all local Health Services.

tru

Surely if a space is paid for for 4 hours, then the accounting is correct? Even if 1 car uses it for 2 hours, then another car uses it for the other 2. It's still the same amount of money, isn't it?

System

No it isnt.

The income due to the Hospital in your e.g. should be 2 x the fee to park.

Try that argument at your local NCP Car Park.

If a ticket says "non transferrable" it is just that and you are breaking the law by passing it on.

tru

Why not give a refund on the time that was paid for but not used then?

Fran

Personally, I feel hospital car parking should be free. I think administrators need to look elsewhere for fund raising, it's not impossible.

System

Why not give a refund on the time that was paid for but not used then?

Good idea.

Maybe you would suggest increasing the car parking charges to pay for the extra administrative and security burden this would bring?

Do NCP refund time not used on Pay and Display Car Parks.

tru

NCP do not have a minimum of 4 hours. I can choose hourly with them.

I was just wondering, you're opinion seems to come from you as an accountant. What is your personal opinion?

System

Personally, I feel hospital car parking should be free. I think administrators need to look elsewhere for fund raising, it's not impossible.

I agree.

However, the Conservative government allowed NHS Trusts to income generate on a whole host of services when they were incepted in 1990.

Unfortunately, todays NHS Trusts are now dependant on this income and "fund raising" elsewhere to the levels required is very difficult - and if you are talking about Charitable Fund Raising, then the Charities Commission would have something to say about using charitable funds to cover gaps in fromt line service provision.

You must bear in mind that numerous NHS facilities are located near town centres etc and that free parking would generate lots of traffic from the public not even using the hospital.

The basic premise of the thread was for an illegal activity.

I stand by my initial point and have emailed the moderators to that end.

System

NCP do not have a minimum of 4 hours.  I can choose hourly with them.

I was just wondering, you're opinion seems to come from you as an accountant.  What is your personal opinion?

The minimum hours level chosen by your local hospital will be derived from 2 things

a) what the estimated average visit is to the hospital

b) what the NHS Trust down the road does.


My personal opinion? See my post above - its illegal and it costs yours and my NHS money.

So my personal opinion on this thread is that of my professional one.

The site has enough tips for money saving without it being at the expense of our public services.