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I see that most hospitals have increased their parking charges, some have more than doubled. Are these legally enforced by a competent authority by the issue of a Penalty Charge Notice or are they, until the law changes, the unenforceable Parking Charge Notices issued by chancers in supermarket car parks?
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The answer is, it depends.
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Some Hospital trusts work in "partnership" with their Local Authorities and they enforce with all the consequences. At least they've binned them in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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>> At least they've binned them in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
>>
Not always a good idea. As supermarkets found out, in areas of parking restrictions or charges they can become free all day parking for commuters, or used as a park n' ride, or by anyone who needs to park in the area for whatever reason. No easy answer to this one.
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Scottish hospitals are rarely located in the very centre of cities/towns. Those that are/were have largely been sold off and reformed in the 'burbs (PFI *mutter*)
Too many people in England I tells ya - they need to thin the ranks down there.
Maybe a nice war or two could help.. Argentina and Iran look a bit uppity these days.
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"Maybe a nice war or two could help.. Argentina and Iran look a bit uppity these days."
So does Scotland
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>> "Maybe a nice war or two could help.. Argentina and Iran look a bit uppity
>> these days."
>>
>> So does Scotland
>>
Thats just Salmonds bluster, a one man ego trip.
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>> Too many people in England I tells ya - they need to thin the ranks
>> down there.
>>
>> Maybe a nice war or two could help..
In years gone by the size of the population was regulated to an extent by such things as wars, famine, pestilence and disease. Now that mankind is working towards reducing all these factors we have a population explosion. It's playing with nature.
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So you would like to reinstate war pestilence and famine as the way forward. It's not much of an election slogan is it ;-)
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>> So you would like to reinstate war pestilence and famine as the way forward. It's
>> not much of an election slogan is it ;-)
>>
I'm not up for election.
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I'm not up for election
Just as well ;-)
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>> So you would like to reinstate war pestilence and famine as the way forward. It's not much of an election slogan is it ;-)>>
You left out disease! What's wrong with disease?
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Ah well,, right,, you see. The problem with disease is that its a bit indiscriminate, the rulling classes can ride out W,P&F, but disease tends to bite them in the bum, so to speak.
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You left out disease! What's wrong with disease?
Pestilence is disease isn't it? Granted there is no pestilence ward at the hospital though.
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You're right - the two general hospitals around here are isolated enough for it not to be an issue, my FiL figured out that it cost him a fair old wedge to go and visit my MiL when she was in hospital when the charges applied.
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Most surely use car parks with an exit barrier , ours does so the question of enforcement doesn't really arise. You don't pay you don't leave
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Fri 16 Mar 12 at 19:25
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What are these 'hospital parking charges' you speak of?....
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They are financial charges for using hospital car parks!
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I think the good Doctor's question is about the lack of them on the Celtic fringes.
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I can generally avoid paying, quite legal - I've a blue badge.
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I understand why a blue badge allows folks to park in a more convenient loaction.
Never really agreed it should exempt parking charges paid by others though.
A motorist's a motorist.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Fri 16 Mar 12 at 20:20
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You've just articulated a thought I was about to post. It's only right that BB holders can park in convenient bays but why no parking fee ?
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>> You've just articulated a thought I was about to post. It's only right that BB
>> holders can park in convenient bays but why no parking fee ?
>>
Many local blue badge holders complained in the press when a local car park went from council to private ownership after a shopping center was built and parking charges were introduced for all users.
They got little sympathy particularly as a third of the car park was dedicated to their use and they preferred to park their taxpayer funded cars on nearby yellow lines.
Last edited by: Rolling roadblock. on Fri 16 Mar 12 at 20:38
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My local hospital charges about £2 per visit. I understand why they do it (to deter commuters from using it as a park and ride, as others have observed), and don't object to the charge. I know how to avoid the charge bys using public transport/parking elsewhere.
The real problem here is the hospital staff. Nearly all drive to work (despite plentiful, all hours public transport), and as they don't want to pay to park they clutter up all the side streets nearby. This creates the need for residents parking schemes, which the residents get charged for. So someone has to paty, whatever happens - even in Wales/Scotland.
Last edited by: Alastairw on Fri 16 Mar 12 at 20:50
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The local Waitrose is practically in the town centre (Woodley). The car park is a pay and display, but they run a system where you get your money back if you shop at the store (don't know the details). Perhaps hospitals in towns could do something similar?
Royal Berks hospital in Reading isn't close enough to the town centre for shoppers, but it's still expensive and usually full. Mrs F used to work there, and as an employee had a permit (which she had to pay for). But she had to get in early, by 8 IIRC, to be sure of a space.
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Norwich and Norfolk University Hospital charges £2 for 3 hours with a maximum of £6 for 5 hours or more. Outpatients pay a maximum of £2 as do visitors of critically or terminally ill patients. Stays of 30 minutes or less are free. Overall I think these are reasonable and I don't object to contributing to NHS funds in this way.
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Usual deal in supermarkets is parking refunded when you spend £5 or more. Problem is people going to horsepiddle tend to cost money rather than spend it so a refund isn't realistic. I had a friend who had to go to Addenbrookes every day for 2 weeks for radio therapy and they were given a permit (free) but that was 15 years ago
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people with no transport will use/or abuse the ambulance service......its the way of the world
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In large areas of the country people have to use some sort of ambulance or hospital transport service as it is not possible to get to a time/date appointment and back home by any public transport
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I think he means 999
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 17 Mar 12 at 08:45
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Most people that I know would ask a relative or friend to give them a lift, or get a Taxi.
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I've been in the situation of having an appointment and no driving licence (medical reasons).
Offered "patient transport". For my local hospital, you have to be ready to be picked up 2 hours before appointment time. That's 1/2 hour earlier than in my walking days I'd have set off. (I live about an hours normal walk away).
But all my appointments were in major London hospitals and I live outside the M25. I used the relative and friend service...
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>> I've been in the situation of having an appointment and no driving licence (medical reasons).
>>
>> Offered "patient transport". For my local hospital, you have to be ready to be picked
>> up 2 hours before appointment time.
My father is in that same boat right now.
He had some patient transport organised, and was ready 2 hours before, as requested.
Said transport turned up at his house 15 minutes before the appointment.
Journey time to hospital (amazingly Wycombe, not Aylesbury (see previous posts...)) 25 mins....
DOH!!!!!
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Try looking at it from the other perspective. Remember these drivers are volunteers, don't get paid and are using their own cars and only receive a mileage allowance.
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>> Try looking at it from the other perspective. Remember these drivers are volunteers, don't get
>> paid and are using their own cars and only receive a mileage allowance.
>>
That I totally understand, and the drivers are given too much to do, but.. think of the costs and problems caused by people missing their appointments through no fault of their own.
In our area at least, this WILL get worse, because the NHS are moving facilities from High Wycombe, to Aylesbury (best part of 20 miles between the 2 hospitals)
The reason given to the moves?
'To improve the service our patients get'
That will be the ones that survive the journey......
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>>
>> The reason given to the moves?
>> 'To improve the service our patients get'
>>
>>
Better quality of "last rites" service in Aylesbury?
Last edited by: AnotherJohnH on Sat 17 Mar 12 at 12:57
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No, I mean Patient Transport Service,referred to by Clk Sec, for getting to hospital in a non-emergency situation
Last edited by: Meldrew on Sat 17 Mar 12 at 09:34
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I mean by Sliding Pillar!!!!
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Is that the service provided by volunteer drivers, and does the user pay towards its cost?
Just interested.
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>>and does the user pay towards its cost?
Apparently they do, if they are able to get to their appointment without assistance.
In and around London, anyway.
Last edited by: Clk Sec on Sat 17 Mar 12 at 10:07
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I believe in my area it is free, but I've never used it.
If I had to pay, for a local hospital at least, I'd still go private and book a taxi. Might cost a bit more, but I think one is less likely to spend hours waiting and still turn up late for the appointment.
Swings and roundabouts though, were I resident in London, I'd be entitled to a "freedom pass", free bus and tube travel. A benefit not to be sneezed at.
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Although benefitting from free hospital parking as I live in the west of Scotland, I really do wish they would introduce some form of charge. Unfortunately with close family needing urgent and acute medical care over the past three years from our local "Superhospital" my trips there have been all too frequent day and night. I have learned to spot the frequent users, the rows of cars parked by commuters taking advantage of the unpatrolled free parking and the staff of the hospitals too seem to think its OK to abandon their cars wherever they feel like it. The car parks at visiting times through the week when clinics etc., are on are nothing short of manic and a modest £1 charge I'm sure would make all the difference.
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>> I see that most hospitals have increased their parking charges, some have more than >>doubled.
Our local hospital charges £1 for 1 hour and £2 for 24 hours. It's been the same for yonks.
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One in four hospitals increase parking charges - some by up to 200 per cent
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
More than one in four hospital trusts have increased car parking charges, an NHS survey has found.
Some hospitals in England have raised charges by up to 200 per cent, with patients and their families and friends paying up to £3.50 an hour.
Hospital parking – which is free for most people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – earns the NHS more than £100million a year.
Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2115685/One-hospitals-increase-parking-charges--200-cent.html#ixzz1pNg2mHWc
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"One in four hospitals increase parking charges -"
Or to put in another way three out of four hospitals keep parking charges unchanged.
I'm sure the Mail would be complaining even more vociferously if hospitals were all to change to free parking and make cuts elsewhere in the budget to compensate for the loss in income.
I can see the headlines.
"They cancelled my operation so scroungers can park free"
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when i have my hospital appointments at the glenfield hospital in leicester i park for free in the nearbye gilroes cemetery car parking area...im going there one day any way!
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Those in power closed down the old victorian hospital right in the town centre that had only 20 parking spaces, but it was on several bus routes and 5 minutes from the railway station.
It was also next door to the nurses flats.
The new hospital is 5 miles from the town centre with 300 car parking spaces and only one one bus route. Takes ambulances about 10 minutes extra to get there and there are no concessions for disabled people. The charges are really steep as well, £2.60 for one hour up to £14 for 12 hours. Considering that my Mrs spent 5 hours up there recently it now costs to be ill!
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Its called progress Zippy, with a touch of rationalisation of assets!
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Been spending too long (again!) visiting at Worcester Hospital, and as above - it was recently re-built out of the City (handy for the M5 work), but the charges are extracting the proverbial:
tinyurl.com/7yrrqga
it never seems to be quite worth while to get the parking concession.
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>>Its called progress Zippy, with a touch of rationalisation of assets!
Ah Meldew,
I think in layman's terms, it means flogging off the nice town centre site at a profit for expensive houses and build again on cheap farmland!
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Just so! We dare not inquire where the money went from the sale of Chelsea Barracks, certainly not to MOD
" In April 2007 the Ministry of Defence agreed to sell Chelsea Barracks in its 12.8 acres (5.2 ha) site for £959 million to a consortium consisting of Qatari Diar and the CPC Group."
Can't find a figure for sale of of the Staff College site at Bracknell but that was a few million too.
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"Just so! We dare not inquire where the money went from the sale of Chelsea Barracks, certainly not to MOD"
A quick google reveals
"Col Bob Stewart, the former commander of British forces in Bosnia, said: "The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, has apparently now agreed that about £550 million will be spent on service accommodation in the Comprehensive Spending Review period from 2008 to 2011, with a promise that the remaining £350 million or so will be spent on accommodation after that."
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1567014/MoD-sale-to-be-spent-on-soldiers-homes.html
So no conspiracy after all then Meldrew
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The MoD could be trusted to blow it on some useless overpriced tat at least !
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No conspiracy just the usual incompetence!.There may have been a hope that the funds would be retained within the MOD budget but it hasn't been and one of the articles below refers to a 35 year programme to improve barrack accommodation for single personnel As a matter of past history the whole of the MOD housing stock (Married Quarters) was sold to Nomura Bank and is now managed by Annington Homes to whom the MOD now pays rent but is still responsible for all maintenance and repairs! What sort of sense did that make?
Two items here
1.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7115903.stm ( If you come across the phrase SFA it means Service Family accommodation)
2.'Scandalous' waste as MoD spends £17 million on rent for service families in 2009 when it has 8,000 empty homes available
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
UPDATED: 10:05, 18 Jan 2010
'Unacceptable bungling': Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Willie Rennie uncovered the MoD housing figures
Almost 8,000 homes for Armed Forces families are empty despite the Ministry of Defence spending £17million a year renting other properties.
Figures show there are 7,889 unoccupied homes for service families in the UK, including 2,077 that have been empty for more than a year.
But the MoD has spent more than £88million since 2004 on renting homes where no suitable properties were available, with the bill for 2009 topping £17million.
This included almost £7,000 a month on a single property in Chelsea, West London.
Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Willie Rennie, who uncovered the figures, said the situation was 'scandalous'.
In a series of written parliamentary answers, junior Defence minister Kevan Jones said the 7,889 'void' service family accommodation (SFA) properties represented 15.8 per cent of the total 49,828 stock.
Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1243945/MoD-8-000-homes-available-spends-17-million-rent-service-families.html#ixzz1pOymjTiC.
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>> "Just so! We dare not inquire where the money went from the sale of Chelsea
>> Barracks, certainly not to MOD.
>>
>> "Col Bob Stewart, the former commander of British forces in Bosnia, said: "The Chancellor, Alistair
>> Darling, has apparently now agreed that about £550 million will be spent on service accommodation
>> in the Comprehensive Spending Review period from 2008 to 2011, with a promise that the
>> remaining £350 million or so will be spent on accommodation after that."
>> So no conspiracy after all then Meldrew.
............except they are now suggesting that servicemen/women's married quarters will be phased out (to save money) and servicemen & their families will have to find private accommodation adjacent to their posting!!!
(I declare an interest here, as our daughter is an army wife)
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It was promised but little made it there.
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>> Can't find a figure for sale of of the Staff College site at Bracknell but
>> that was a few million too.
Used to live a hundred yards or so from there - great when they would get a Spitfire to come in and do low level fly pasts.
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>>.........except they are now suggesting that servicemen/women's married quarters will be phased out (to save money) and servicemen & their families will have to find private accommodation adjacent to their posting!!!
(I declare an interest here, as our daughter is an army wife)
There could be a positive angle here, as more service personnel might consider buying their own properties while they are still serving, rather than waiting until they retire in their forties or fifties.
As it is, many already live in rented accommodation (Hirings) because there are not enough married quarters for all.
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Private accommodation, near London for an MOD posting or Northolt or Northwood, impossible. Time was when some officers served to age 38 or 17 years and retired with an immediate pension and a cash in hand gratuity of 3x the annual pension; this was intended, seriously, for the cash purchase of a house. The figures for 1977 would have resulted in a cash sum of £4500 which wouldn't have bought a thing and today's cash sum wouldn't even be a deposit.
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Many will buy a property when they are serving in a part of the country where there is affordable housing, and this may well be an area that they have a good chance of returning to on one or more occasions during their time in the forces.
When they are posted elsewhere, they can then let their property to other military personnel.
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Many do Clk Sec, but not ideal it can be hard to get posted back to said areas. They are popular for cheap housing and other reasons with everyone else too. It's option but not ideal usual the OT job prospects as well as having to change the kids schools.
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Hospital Parking Charges - Zero
