Hospital charges for blue badge parking

unforeseen

GunJack wrote: »

The Maelor is my local, so yes fully aware of how it is there unfortunately.

Also unfortunately wifey's had to go to the cardiac unit at Bodelwyddan 5-6 times in the last 4 months, but we've never had an issue parking there...in fact it's like Dingly Dell there compared to the Maelor

@unforseen do you have local knowledge of up here?

I work at the Maelor. Glan Clwyd is so full that they have taken over part of the local industrial estate as a car park and run a bus service.

GunJack

unforeseen wrote: »

I work at the Maelor. Glan Clwyd is so full that they have taken over part of the local industrial estate as a car park and run a bus service.

Surprises me, that, about GC, always seemed quite quiet when we were up there.

You have my sympathy about working at the Maelor......small world isn't it??

Mojisola

GunJack wrote: »

why are english ones still charging ???

Our hospital started charging because people who work in town were using the car park as a free park and ride.

There's a bus pulls into the hospital grounds and then goes straight into town - the bus fare was much cheaper than parking in town.

It did stop the misuse and it meant that parking places were available for patients and visitors.

Unfortunately, they keep building new departments in the hospital grounds but have hardly increased the parking at all so it's not uncommon for there to be no parking places now.

To make sure I don't miss appointments, I have to get someone else to take me to the hospital, drop me at the door and then head off to find parking - or leave the site and come back later.

unforeseen

GunJack wrote: »

Surprises me, that, about GC, always seemed quite quiet when we were up there.

You have my sympathy about working at the Maelor......small world isn't it??

I think it's because the building work has closed a lot of areas off.

I'm only at the Maelor as a contractor and that's nearly finished. It's a good crowd that I work with so no complaints

50Twuncle

custardy wrote: »

Are you now complaining blue badge holders get more parking for their charge?
Sheesh.

custardy wrote: »

Is it? It seems to change with every post.
So now everyone should get free parking including thestaff?
How would you handle free parking with no spaces available when you arrive?

Not staff - just patients
OK. All patients should be free

custardy

50Twuncle wrote: »

Not staff - just patients
OK. All patients should be free

So only patients. How will you manage who is parking are patients?

teddysmum

custardy wrote: »

So only patients. How will you manage who is parking are patients?

Pay then get a refund at the booking in desk, but it would be extra work and cause holdups.


Our hospital does do special rate 'season tickets' for people with cancer or on dialysis and they have special parking areas near their departments.


Otherwise the site is awful, as the site is not big enough for the size of the hospital and building is still on going. Any driver ill and without a blue badge has to walk quite a long way, with the site built on quite a steep incline.


I always go by bus, taking the car to the bus stop near home (to save a steep uphill walk at the home end), but as our hospital covers services for another hospital and has a special bus bay for patients, the service buses cannot use the loop road originally intended to provide stops near the main entrance, so there's a long walk to the door, before the internal trek.

Bogalot

teddysmum wrote: »

Pay then get a refund at the booking in desk, but it would be extra work and cause holdups.

For every patient? You are aware that the NHS is trying to cut down on unnecessary admin?

Pop_Up_Pirate

50Twuncle wrote: »

My reasoning is that blue badge holders TEND to be disabled and also TEND to have more annual hospital visits than non-blue badge holders.....
and this extra £4.50 per day TAX is too much for many people to afford - especially when the bus service is non-existent and taxi fares are prohibitive


I speak as a disabled person who regularly has to visit the hospital (3 times a week last year for physiotherapy)
And season tickets are not available
Also - I may not be on the breadline - but earn less than £12k pa

My solution is to not pay it. Never have, never will.

50Twuncle

They are claiming to offer free parking to "REGISTERED CARERS" - I looked into this and it turns out that they really mean their "Trust Carer’s Scheme whereby carers assist in providing care for patients whilst they are in hospital if they wish to do so receive concessions."
So that doesn't help at all !!