Parking at Warrington and HAltonHospital Trust

jevban

Hello

I had help form this forum some years ago, and need help again now please. I have also posted on Pepipoo.

I am the carer for two very disabled women, one terminally ill, the other with complex physical and mental health problems....3 weeks ago, one of the ladies was having cardiac events and was falling, injuring herself. I got called to take her to the local Minor injuries unit at our local hospital in Halton, Cheshire. When in the unit, we were sent to x ray. On the wall,was an A4 piece of paper notifying of new charges being imposed by the Trust for parking but states clearly that blue badge holders remained exempt. We left the unit and got sent to Warrington hospital, where the same ANPR system is in place...we again parked under the misapprehension we were free to do so as we had a blue badge. I have the A4 sheet from the x ray unit as proof. We got called back to Warrington, the sister hospital today, to see an orthopaedic surgeon as the lady has fractured her wrist. We again parked in a disabled bay in Warrington with the blue badge on display. We were significantly delayed in clinic and when we came out, another patient man told me that we still had to pay despite having a blue badge.I told him we had a paper but he told me things had changed from the end of October, when the A4 sheet said the charges were to be imposed. Panicky, I tried to pay at the exit to the hospital but after 3 tries of following the machines instructions, I could not get the machine to give me a price....I took a photo of the screen as proof, then drove off with an ill woman with a cast on her arm. When I got home, I Googled the Trust and have indeed seen that initially, they exempted blue badge holders, but changed their mind mid November.No notification, and the notice boards at the hospitals, despite being plentiful, are confusing..they say all cars are to pay, then have another section with four areas underneath, one of which is the blue badge wheelchair sign.Now I am panicking. We could potentially have 3 fines ready to drop on our mat over the Xmas holiday, at a cost of £75 each, thats £225 We dont have. What do I do? I've read they can take up to 56 days to write to you.What a great Xmas it will be waiting for this to drop on the mat. The first occasion when we visited two units in one night, was pitch black and late.That could be a cool £150 for one night! Its run by Ranger Services from what I read on the Trust website. I have written a stomping letter fo complaint to the Trust, but expect to get a standard response from them. Any advice very greatfully received.

Jan

Fruitcake

jevban wrote: »

Hello

I had help form this forum some years ago, and need help again now please. I have also posted on Pepipoo.

I am the carer for two very disabled women, one terminally ill, the other with complex physical and mental health problems....3 weeks ago, one of the ladies was having cardiac events and was falling, injuring herself. I got called to take her to the local Minor injuries unit at our local hospital in Halton, Cheshire. When in the unit, we were sent to x ray. On the wall,was an A4 piece of paper notifying of new charges being imposed by the Trust for parking but states clearly that blue badge holders remained exempt. We left the unit and got sent to Warrington hospital, where the same ANPR system is in place...we again parked under the misapprehension we were free to do so as we had a blue badge. I have the A4 sheet from the x ray unit as proof. We got called back to Warrington, the sister hospital today, to see an orthopaedic surgeon as the lady has fractured her wrist. We again parked in a disabled bay in Warrington with the blue badge on display. We were significantly delayed in clinic and when we came out, another patient man told me that we still had to pay despite having a blue badge.I told him we had a paper but he told me things had changed from the end of October, when the A4 sheet said the charges were to be imposed. Panicky, I tried to pay at the exit to the hospital but after 3 tries of following the machines instructions, I could not get the machine to give me a price....I took a photo of the screen as proof, then drove off with an ill woman with a cast on her arm. When I got home, I Googled the Trust and have indeed seen that initially, they exempted blue badge holders, but changed their mind mid November.No notification, and the notice boards at the hospitals, despite being plentiful, are confusing..they say all cars are to pay, then have another section with four areas underneath, one of which is the blue badge wheelchair sign.Now I am panicking. We could potentially have 3 fines ready to drop on our mat over the Xmas holiday, at a cost of £75 each, thats £225 We dont have. What do I do? I've read they can take up to 56 days to write to you.What a great Xmas it will be waiting for this to drop on the mat. The first occasion when we visited two units in one night, was pitch black and late.That could be a cool £150 for one night! Its run by Ranger Services from what I read on the Trust website. I have written a stomping letter fo complaint to the Trust, but expect to get a standard response from them. Any advice very greatfully received.

Jan

Do not panic. They are not fines and you will not have to pay them. You may however get a speculative invoice from a parking company dressed up to make it look official and scare you into paying. These are relatively easy to beat as long as you follow the advice on this website.

Do nothing until you receive a notice to keeper (or two or three) through the post. Meanwhile start reading the Sticky thread for NEWBIES at the top of the page.

As I have already said, do not panic, you will not have to pay these outragous charges.

Do not contact the parking company by 'phone under any circumstances, and if you need to appeal, do not reveal who was driving.

Fruitcake

Just checked and found Ranger Services are BPA members, so should be a piece of cake to beat.

jevban

Thankyou...I'm flapping at having to find £225....I have read the newbies section and sent a stonking complaint letter to the Trust and copied in my MP...there has been no large scale notification, and we attend hospitals at least 4 times a month....not like we are occasional visitors and often have lenghty in patient stays...


Jan

Fruitcake

jevban wrote: »

Thankyou...I'm flapping at having to find £225....I have read the newbies section and sent a stonking complaint letter to the Trust and copied in my MP...there has been no large scale notification, and we attend hospitals at least 4 times a month....not like we are occasional visitors and often have lenghty in patient stays...


Jan

Please don't flap. You will not have to find this at all.


I suggest you also contact the hospital PALS group. There is also info around that (I think) the Secretary of State has issued the NHS with a directive that hospitals shouldn't be charging for parking, or certainly not allowing patients to be ripped off.

jevban

Thanks I read that about Mr Hunt..it was a directive issued in August this year. Read the article on line. Thanks. I also re read the newbie section and ranger/highway (or similar) are part of BPA and the guidelines says anpr notifications should be sent within 14 days.

Thankyou

Jan

Fruitcake

I forgot to mention that the BPA code of practice tells its members not to ticket any vehicle displaying a blue badge (even though BBs are not required on private land) so if you do get an NTK, this would be a reason to complain to the BPA.


If you didn't get a windscreen ticket then I think you are right about the 14 days. If you did get a windscreen ticket then it should be 29 to 56 days for the NTK.

jevban

Thank you.....can these ANPR cameras pick up badges? Anyhow..if the 14 day rule is correct, I should only have to worry about the charge for last night where I did try to pay but the machine would not give a cost/fee

Thanks Fruitcake

Jan

Coupon-mad

jevban wrote: »

Thank you.....can these ANPR cameras pick up badges?

Of course not, they only show the car arriving and leaving don't they?

Anyhow..if the 14 day rule is correct, I should only have to worry about the charge for last night where I did try to pay but the machine would not give a cost/fee

Not really - it's not quite that simple - the 14 day rule just means they can't get 'keeper liability' and doesn't make the PCN void or anything (not against a driver). Although it's fully appealable (by the keeper not driver) and winnable! Anyway you will know that now, as Fruitcake told you where to read, so you will be fully informed by now I hope:

Fruitcake wrote: »

Meanwhile start reading the Sticky thread for NEWBIES at the top of the page.

Can we see the signs please - I haven't seen a car park run by Ranger Services. Would like to also see their NTK both sides please. Bet it's useless.

jevban

Thanks Coupon Mad...I thought I only had the last one to worry about , but now realise it wnt be that simple...I got some pics todaybut need to go to Minor injuries tomorrow and get the pics of the signage you ask for...I have a photo of the info from x ray..I will post that and some of the pics approaching the hospital taken today if I can work out how to post pics to this forum.....

jevban

Pic of notice in X ray...pics approaching main part of the hospital




oops cannot get them to open....why?