Hospital Car Parking
The government seems to change its mind about whether there should be charges for hospital car parking.
In these times of austerity, I believe that it should not be, as obviously this would mean loss of revenue and perhaps cuts in other services.
But we should in fact be creating good systems and alternatives, that remove the need for the parking in the first place.
- I have to go to the West Suffolk Hospital occasionally for my Warfarin test. My driver drops me and then goes and does something else and I phone to be picked up. But a National Anticoagulant Service would avoid that, as I could probably be tested in a pharmacy. How many other people have to go to a hospital for something that could be done by the GP or a local clinic, or even over the phone?
- West Suffolk Hospital has also banned staff car parking.
- Hospitals should also be well served by public transport. I can’t get to either West Suffolk or Addenbrooke’s by public transport. But saying that, last time I went to Addenbrooke’s, I took the train into Cambridge, played real tennis, had lunch and took the bus for an afternoon appointment, after which I was picked up. So sometimes a little thought can remove the need for parking.
- I think too, that many hospitals have been designed so that you are supposed to go there by car.
- We also put new hospitals in the wrong places. Imagine a hospital built by the train station or close to the city centre, so that it was more convenient for everyone.
So if we can cut the number of journeys, then we can reserve the car parking spaces for those that really need them!
Perhaps too, we should make car parking free in the evening for visitors to those in hospital. When I was in Addenbrooke’s, it was the evenings, where I wanted to see someone. But I’d have preferred to be at home, so perhaps hospitals should really concentrate on getting people home or in the community.
It is also a green issue to me. We shouldn’t need to drive to hospital, spewing carbon emissions!
The Anonymous Widower 
Your post reflects the different type of places we live. I am just outside a city, and close to a major international airport. In Manchester hospitals are all on bus routes and very near to stations, although with The Christie, patients are often coming from far distant places on a daily or weekly basis, are unwell, and public transport isnt an option.
All hospitals charge for parking here. The reason is simple. Manchester Airport. Sneaky people were driving to the local hospitals, parking their cars, and taking cheap and short cab ride to the airport. Without a ticket on the dash it is impossible to be certain the car has been there permanantly. With a ticket, staff know that it has been there continously for more than 24 or 36 hours, can check with the wards to see if it is a relatives or patients car, and if it isnt, they can deal with it. Patients staying overnight, visising daily, or on low income get a token for the car park, as do relatives who are staying with poorly patients for a long time.
Comment by Liz P | September 13, 2010 |