Civil enforcement ltd fine GP appointment

Marco84

Hello, I attended a GP appointment for a mental health crisis last month, I am pretty sure as one can be during a crisis I entered my car's (registered owner not driver) registration at the touch screen at the GP. But the other day I received a £60 fine from CE ltd.

I sent an email to them stating the above. I didn't say who the driver was and I said I'm not paying their invoice.
Do I have any need to worry? the stress isn't helping my state.

Coupon-mad

All you do is get the GP Practice to cancel it.  Easy.

D_P_Dance

It is not a fine, please read the newbies. Please also read this and complain to your MP.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

Marco84

I wrote to my GP practice explaining the situation and they just replied

"Thank you for contacting the practice. Every time you attend the practice for any appointment you would need to enter your registration number . Please follow the appeals procedure on the reverse of your ticket. Unfortunately we are unable to help, you would have contact the parking company. I am sorry this has caused you distress."

What do I do now?

D_P_Dance

That is appalling, if they have a website/feedback page write bad stuff on it.

Read this and complain to your MP.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

Marco84

D_P_Dance said:

That is appalling, if they have a website/feedback page write bad stuff on it.

Read this and complain to your MP.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

It is appealing and causing me further harm, I wish I never asked for medical help now. I left them a 1 star review on google.

The Gloucester MP is more appealing than the surgery. He refused to help my son get a place at primary school that's 60 seconds away, luckily a barrister took pity and took them to the cleaners and got a place for him. I really don't want to touch the MP with a barge if it can be helped, as he wont help.

I literally have proof from the GP I attended the appointment the time the charge was issued. If it goes to court, will it be enough to win? I'm probably more stressed I'll have debt collectors lurking around harassing, can they clamp the car?

Trainerman

No they cannot clamp the car. Stop worrying. The only thing debt collectors can do is sent laughable threatening letters. Until a Judge has ruled, no one can visit, harm your credit history or anything else. Obviously, you have a defence if it ever goes to court

KeithP

Marco84 said:

I wrote to my GP practice explaining the situation and they just replied

"Thank you for contacting the practice. Every time you attend the practice for any appointment you would need to enter your registration number . Please follow the appeals procedure on the reverse of your ticket. Unfortunately we are unable to help, you would have contact the parking company. I am sorry this has caused you distress."

What do I do now?

What you do now is point the surgery manager towards that document that @D_P_Dance showed you.

They certainly can, indeed must, help.

Did you read this statement in that document?...

Contracted-out car parking
NHS organisations are responsible for the actions of private contractors who run car parks on their behalf.

You need nothing more.

Redx

As above , if they contracted the parking company , they are jointly and severally liable under the law , plus those NHS parking principles are also binding if they are a GP practice taking NHS money

Tell them so , never be fobbed off , complain to the patient liaison group if they have one too

And definitely involve your own local MP and ask him to copy in Neil O'Brian MP at the dhulg too !

Coupon-mad

Speak to the Manager not the surgery 'computer says no' receptionist.

Marco84

I just had this reply

"Thank you for your message regarding the parking fine you received at the Aspen Centre.

The Aspen Centre car park is not an NHS car park, and we (Aspen Medical Practice) are not responsible for it. Aspen Centre is owned by a commercial property landlord who has employed the services of a car parking management company.

Aspen Medical Practice rent a part of the Aspen Centre, as do other independent entities such as a pharmacy, a gym, an eye health clinic, etc.

The above being said, we are in talks with our landlord to have the car park signage made clearer to assist our patients in parking in the correct part of the Aspen Centre car park when visiting Aspen Medical Practice, and we are reminding our patients to enter their vehicle registration number when visiting us.

If you parked in the GP Practice part of the car park, and you are sure that you entered your vehicle registration number correctly in one of the electronic tablet devices located in the Practice, then you certainly have grounds to appeal against the fine you received. This appeals process requires you to contact the car parking management company on the back of the letter you received informing you of the fine.

Appealing does not ‘legally validate their invoice for payment’ and does not show that you ‘accept the invoice’. By parking in the Aspen Centre car park, you implicitly agreed to the terms and conditions displayed on the sign(s) where you parked your vehicle. The only way the car parking company can consider rescinding your fine is if you tell them that you consider it to have been issued in error. For this you will need to appeal.

Again, we are sorry that you have suffered distress because of this.

Best regards

Risk and Compliance Manager

Aspen Medical Practice"

Where do I stand now? I did not even know there is apparently a "GP part of the car park" in all the times I been there, especially attending in a crisis