Hospital Car Parking

Suewre

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.

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My local NHS hospital doesn't get the money from carparking. The Council gets it. I assumed all hospital carparks were the same, must be just ours. So the parking income is nothing to do with the hospital income here.

Victors_Bruvver

I do not know where all of this thread has been but can I add my own tuppence worth please?

The whole issue of NHS hospitals charging for parking is totally, totally wrong and should never have been allowed in the first place. This is not only morally wrong but surely we are paying or contributing twice to the NHS, once through our taxes and than again on these parking charges. What next – the introduction of 0870 numbers to contact the hospital?

I agree that our hospitals are under funded and are strapped for cash, but is this not a political thing? We all had a chance to vote in the last election and you get what you voted for. If you don’t like it – change it next time around! My local hospital trust is probably like all the rest in the country struggling to provide a service (so they say) but it is more than likely way way over staffed with non medical personnel “working” in very plush air conditioned offices whilst their cars are outside their window in the car park with a hospital parking permit, which they possibly did not pay or contribute to. (If that is the case Mr. Accountant, has it been declared to the tax man as a P11D benefit received from your employer?)

Finally, sorry about this folks, my NHS trust sold off some very valuable land that was the old nurses home to a developer, who has now built mega buck houses to sell. Why is that when asked how much it sold the land for, the trust replied, at the time, that it kept this information confidential because it was commercially sensitive. Also, seeing that these houses are at a price where none of the local nurses can afford them, I want remind everyone that this government at some stage in the past was telling us that it wanted to build & provide low cost houses for Key NHS Workers – what happened here I wonder?

Just putting my soap box away for the day!!!!!!!!

PS Did someone say "illegal" at the start of this thread? Is there a Bylaw (?) of something similar to say with have to pay to park?

tru

Well said ;D

SCOYA

My local hospital car park is brand new and privatised. It costs £1.70 for two hours and if you don't have the correct money you don't get a refund from the machine either. Personally, I didn't mind paying until I discovered that the parking fees didn't go to the hospital.

System

air conditioned offices whilst their cars are outside their window in the car park with a hospital parking permit, which they possibly did not pay or contribute to. (If that is the case Mr. Accountant, has it been declared to the tax man as a P11D benefit received from your employer?)

1. Ive been in the NHS 10 years and never once worked in the luxurious surroundings of air conditioning!!

2. I have to pay for my car parking - you don't really think that the Trust would miss that opportunity do you? (oh and it would only be declarable on P11D if it had my name on the space.) :P

3. Maybe you should move to America. Because your attitude is very American - it seems you think it is your god given right to use your car. ;D

4. All land sales are commercially sensitive. Let me tell you one thing - i hope they got a lot for it - because every single penny HAS to be ploughed back into your local services.

I dont agree with charging. All disabled badge holders park for free at our Trust (approx 70 - 80%) of regular attenders.

I will reiterate that "not transferrable" when printed on a ticket means just that. If you want to go on passing tickets around because you fundamentally disagree with the policy - then you are simply cutting your nose off to spite your face.

I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS THREAD IS STILL OPEN! THE MODERATION ON THIS BOARD IS PATHETIC.

MSE_Martin

I have just received your complaint.  I'm not sure who you emailed.  I only received today - did you send it to the moderators or to me or to abuse?

Anyway - i have read the initial post.  I think there is a clarification needed - and have added it. If the ticket is non-transferable that could be deemed fraudulent behaviour and therefore should not be done and is not condoned by the site.

Therefore I suggest people check the transferability of the ticket - this was an omission in the first post - however it was not specifically advocating using 'non-transferable' tickets.  I don't believe there are blanket parking rules at each NHS trust, they set there own, therefore as this was generic rather than specific - i think the clarification should help.

Of course if it isn't transferable go no further.  Otherwise it is a moral decision over whether you feel right to take the funding away from the hospital.

I have been through here and deleted any threads I feel to be inappropriate - however if you feel anymore are - feel free to send me a personal message and i will have a look. It is not my policy to remove threads unless in extreme circumstances.  

Martin

System

Thanks for your comments Martin.

I emailed the abuse address twice.

Can I point out one thing about your comment that parking fees go to assisting underfunded hospital admin.

They don't.

They are simply one income line of many in the Trusts I&E account - so what they go to fund is impossible to distinguish.

However spekaing from my Trust, car parking charges have just been increased for one reason - we have installed CCTV and increased security on site to ensure patients and visitors cars can receive the maximum security.

Thanks

presterjohn

Funny how we didn't need to charge for parking in hospitals, untill the NHS bloated itself out by employing to many managers and accountants. >:(

System

@presterjohn

Perhaps you'd like to qualify that statement by posting some comparative management cost figures between

a) the Nhs and our European counterparts health services

b) private industry.

No?

Didn't think so. Thats because it would show the NHS as being comparatively lightly managed to both.

How would you run Europes largest employer? Give the nurses the cheque books?

Best get back to reading your tabloid mate.

tonyivb

I've just read through this thread and had a good few laughs... I'd like to see Hospital Accountant post his/her views on some other boards.

Anyway, I'll add my thoughts: -

Firsty, I have no problem with paying for parking at the hospital... where facilities are provided the maintenence of them has to be paid. I'd rather that the money came from charging motorists rather than not going towards healthcare.

Secondly, I would imagine that the charges are also set at a level to 'deter' car use and encourage people to use public transport.

Thirdly, I don't want my taxes to be used to subsidise other peoples car parking... if you want to use the service then pay for it yourself!