Hospital Car Parking

filigree_2

£2 for four hours sounds like a bargain. St George's in Tooting charges £2 for the first hour, and £1/hour thereafter. Actually, it's some years since I parked there and the prices have probably increased. Well, they aren't likely to have decreased! There aren't enough spaces for staff parking, the tickets are allotted in an annual lottery. You can't park in the surrounding streets because they are residents only, and the local supermarket has a maximum 2 hour limit. Luckily I live near enough to take the bus or a taxi, which is cheaper than the extortionate parking fees.

Lots of patients would probably walk/bus/taxi if it was an option, but it isn't. The overall structure of the NHS is partly to blame. Loads of local hospitals were closed down or converted to care facilities, so we all have to travel further to reach a hospital that still functions. Then we have "centres of excellence" or whatever they are called, which means that for some therapies you have to travel to a specialist unit, even further away.

jockettuk

our local hospital peterborough PDH is located within 5 mins from the town centre .. this is the reason we are told they charge to stop people using the carparks then walking into town.. ok this i thought is fair untill i fell pregnant and had to visit hospital on a regular basis i worked out that during my pregnancy they got nearly 100 quid out of me and even had the cheek to say that when i came in to give birth i had to be dropped of go in get a ticket from security to put on my car and then go and try and find a space.. told them that when i was in labour myself or my husband would come in shove the keys in the hands ( or somewere else ) and they could move the bloody car.. being in labour is no bloody fun and a male security guard telling you how you should park your car was not a priority lol ...

PhiL_P_3

I recently had a painful experience of hospital parking at King's College hospital in Denmark Hill, South London. The literature they sent us stated that hospital parking is £2 per hour!

My wife is expecting our second child and had a 17:00 appointment for a 12-week scan. I decided to drive since it was myself, my wife, our 2-year old and my mum travelling. I arrived nice and early so decided to explore the surrounding area for cheaper parking. Every space I could find was (you guessed it) pay & display at £2 per hour! We came across a police car at the side of the road so asked if they knew anywhere cheaper. Their response was "Park in the hospital car park - there's bad car crime in this area!". I duly heeded their advice.

Of course that 17:00 appointment became a 19:15 appointment, so after the lovely relaxing (NOT!) 2+ hour wait trying (and failing) to entertain my son, followed by 45 mins being seen, my parking bill was £8! To add insult to injury I only had £4 change and a £20 note which the machine wouldn't accept so I had to go off on a quest for change since it was gone 8pm! >:(

Then again on the other hand - £8 to see my unborn child and find out all is well - BARGAIN! ;D

Paul_Varjak

It's lucky that I am disabled and never have to worry about car parking charges - in hospitals, car parks or at parking meters.

I have been to several hospitals and, besides getting better treatment and faster treatment, better food, a cleaner environment and friendlier staff, I have noticed that the car parking is often free for everyone!

The moral is to ask your doctor to refer you to a smaller hospital. It may be further away but is often in a less busy area and so getting there is easier and quicker!

An interesting thread!

aussielle

It was on the news tonight that Withington Hospital is increasing its charge from £1 per day to £10 per day! Hope I never need to go there, I don't mind paying a pound or so but that's ridiculous

kareneil

Disabled badge holders can park free of charge in special spaces at our local hospital in Boston. When I was visiting my father at Southend General recently I found you had to pay even with a disabled badge! The attendant did say that you could reclaim it if you were on benefits which may be useful to know for some people!
I do believe that most hospitals make allowances if you are visiting hospital for prolonged periods but you have to ask!
If you can walk of course the best tip is to get there early and find a space on a street within 5 or 10 minutes walk! Its worth it to know your not giving in to their extortionate charges!

shelly

A few years ago my Dad was in King's Lynn Hospital (Cambridgeshire).Because he was in ICU my Mum got a weekly permit that was much cheaper than paying everyday.Everyone who visited my Dad used it as it wasn't just for my Mums car so it saved us all some money.
I agree that hospital parking should be free,and a while ago King's Lynn hospital changed the fee structure due to listening to patients I think.You used to have to decide how long your ticket for for,say 1 hour but a lot of the time appointments were running late and people had to go out to the car park and get another ticket.But now the carpark is £1-70 for 24 hours.Reading this thread thats very cheap compared to others.But I still think it should be free.When you are visiting sick friends or family the last thing you want to worry about is finding change for the meter.

Glad

Just found out that the hospital I work at is going to charge for parking, and that staff will have to pay as well >:( >:(

is that the norm

02385338

Hi,
Hospital car parking for the staff is common place all over the country, i have worked at a lot of hospitals and the charge is taken directly from wages, some are ??fairer (depends how you look at it, is it fair to charge one person one price just because they earn more?)than others, charging depending on your earnings and working hours. In a lot of hospitals there is not enough parking permits for staff so a lot of people end up paying the daily fee which is extortionate when you add it up! five days a week at manchester and your parking bill is £50, either that or park miles away and have to walk late at night to get to it through rough areas in manchester. The central manchester hospital charges £10 per day, other smaller hospitals charge less. The hospital in stockport is actually making staff compete for parking permits, you have to fill in a form detailing how many busses it takes for you to travel to work! they also ask how many dependants etc you have, i think this is despicable! anyway sorry about the rant but us nurses get it tough sometimes!

02385338

oh i forgot!
i originally wanted to add that as a visitor to itu and childrens etc you can get permits, just ask staff for details.