Hospital car parking charges

[Onelife]

Took my wife to the QE hospital today for an MRI scan…. they told my wife to allow two hours for the scan but due to technical problems we eventually left two after the allocated time…. the robbers charged me £7.20 for our visit…. thinking this was an extortionate charge I nicked one of their newly panted rose bushes on the way out…can’t be sure but I thinks it’s called “daylight robbery”

[Slapstick]

Daylight robbery indeed, I can understand charging for visiting in-patients but not for those attending medical appointments.

[david63]

Lucky if you can ever find a parking space

[towny44]

Lucky if you can ever find a parking space

Even luckier if you can find a wheelchair space. There seems to be more blue badge holders than ever now.

[Stephen]

Our main hospital car parking charges

30 MinsFree.
2 Hours£3.10.
3 Hours£4.00.
5 Hours£5.00.
6 Hours£6.00.
24 Hours£10.00.

What you’re going to achieve in 30 minutes I don’t know. It’ll take you that to try and find a parking space.

The whole hospital is always rammed with every single space around the hospital taken. Mostly by staff who understandably won’t use the staff designated multi-story parking facility because of the high monthly fee they get charged.

I normally do two tours around the hospital site to see if I can spot a space and if not then reluctantly try and find a space in the paid parking.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Parking at our hospital used to be free. Trouble was local people used it to go shopping or work in the town rather than pay and display there. So it was always full of people who were not staff, patients or visitors so they couldn't get in. So they had to start patrolling it, and that meant staff who had to be paid for. To avoid cutting into patient care budgets that meant charges. That meant barriers and cash machines. That meant maintenance. Which increased charges. Etc.

[david63]

What I don't understand about hospital parking is why there is never enough. Almost every hospital that I have needed to park at, no matter what the time of day, does not have sufficient parking

It's a fairly simple process to estimate how many parking spaces are needed at various times of the day but hospitals never seem to address the issue.

There seems to be a mindset at hospitals that they need to constantly expand their facilities to treat more patients, which is very laudable, but if those patients cannot get to the hospital then it is somewhat self defeating and if/when they do eventually manage to get there the stress levels are so high that they cannot be treated.

[Mervyn and Trish]

In the case of our new hospital when it was built the local council wouldn't give planning permission for more spaces. Green policy. They seemed to believe that sick outpatients and staff changing shifts at antisocial hours should use public transport.

[Stephen]

It’s purely a money spinner at our hospital which is miles away from the nearest town or train station so no one would benefit from parking there.

[oldbluefox]

It doesn't help when hospitals give you an 8.00 appointment only to find the waiting room full of patients all with the same 8.00 appointments. If you're last on the list it could easily be 12.00 or later before you are seen. Meanwhile you are feeding the machine with no idea how much longer you will be.

[oldbluefox]

When I had daily treatment for a month I decided to invest in a monthly pass which cost me £25. It seemed a good investment at the time only to discover shortly afterwards the exit barrier broke down and everyone was parking for free!!!

[Mervyn and Trish]

When I had daily treatment for a month, same as Foxy, the monthly pass at our hospital was free. Foxy, you was done! Get a compo form from Stephen.

[Onelife]

When I had daily treatment for a month I decided to invest in a monthly pass which cost me £25. It seemed a good investment at the time only to discover shortly afterwards the exit barrier broke down and everyone was parking for free!!!

Go back and see if they have any newly planted rose bushes

[Stephen]

When I had daily treatment for a month, same as Foxy, the monthly pass at our hospital was free. Foxy, you was done! Get a compo form from Stephen.

I don't work on Sundays

[oldbluefox]

When I had daily treatment for a month I decided to invest in a monthly pass which cost me £25. It seemed a good investment at the time only to discover shortly afterwards the exit barrier broke down and everyone was parking for free!!!

Go back and see if they have any newly planted rose bushes

They must have come across you before OL. They were all chained together.

[Mervyn and Trish]

When I had daily treatment for a month, same as Foxy, the monthly pass at our hospital was free. Foxy, you was done! Get a compo form from Stephen.

I don't work on Sundays

Foxy told me he'd pay double.....

[david63]

I think I might have come up with a "cunning plan"

If I take my car to the hospital at around three in the morning I should be able to park it as there should be plenty of space, I can then get the bus back home. When it is time for my appointment then I can get the bus to the hospital and when my appointment is over my car will be in the car park waiting for me.

Can anyone see any flaws in this plan?

[Stephen]

When I had daily treatment for a month, same as Foxy, the monthly pass at our hospital was free. Foxy, you was done! Get a compo form from Stephen.

I don't work on Sundays

Foxy told me he'd pay double.....

How many does he want

[oldbluefox]

Do you take rose bushes as payment?

[Onelife]

I think I might have come up with a "cunning plan"

If I take my car to the hospital at around three in the morning I should be able to park it as there should be plenty of space, I can then get the bus back home. When it is time for my appointment then I can get the bus to the hospital and when my appointment is over my car will be in the car park waiting for me.

Can anyone see any flaws in this plan?

None at all David….I’ve always said that you are the smartest chap on the forum

[Onelife]

Do you take rose bushes as payment?

I can supply, but they come bare-rooted…it’s the way I pull them

[Stephen]

Do you take rose bushes as payment?

Only if they’re David Austin roses.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I prefer Cadbury Roses.

[Ray B]

Parking at our Norfolk Norwich University Hospital starts at £3.40p first two hours.
What no one has mentioned are the reduced charges if you are an out patient. The NNUH has reduced charges, maybe the same at your hospital.
Out-patient appointments exceeding 3 hours will be validated by clinic for the minimum charge.
Car parking concessions
Parents and maternity

Parents visiting babies on NICU frequently can park free.

Parents visiting children on Buxton Ward for up to one week pay the minimum daily fee, for more than one week, parking is free.

Birthing partners at time of delivery – validate your ticket for the minimum charge.

Patients

Out-patients who visit more than three times for a single a course of treatment can have their parking validated as free after the third visit until end of that course of treatment. This mainly applies to oncology/haematology (cancer treatment).

Patients attending for renal dialysis are entitled to free parking.

Patients who have an appointment or treatment that lasts more than three hours can have their ticket validated for the minimum charge.

Relatives

Immediate family who are visiting critically ill or terminally ill patients and stay for long periods can have their ticket validated for minimum charge.

At the discretion of the ward, relatives and carers

[Stephen]

Was up at our main hospital this afternoon. Rammed around the hospital as usual with vehicles parked everywhere. Some will have a shock though when returning to their vehicles as a car parking bod from Gemeni the company that run the parking was slapping tickets on several cars.