Parking fares have been hiked by two thirds at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, with patients now having to pay at least £4.20.
The multi-storey car park by Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital is run by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust.
The cost of a parking space for up to two hours saw a 68 percent increase from £2.50 to £4.20.
The trust says that the rise is to avoid commuters and visitors using their car parks as cheaper alternatives to other local ones.
Complaints are stacking up on social media with the move being described as “outrageous”.
Karen Geoghegan, Chief Financial Officer of the trust said: “We have recently realigned our car parking charges for patients at the Royal Sussex County Hospital to be in line with local council car park rates, as we are recommended to do.
“We try and keep the costs of car parking for patients as low as we can, and provide significant concessions for patients who are in hospital for a long period.
“And for specific groups – such as patients undergoing regular dialysis or cancer treatment – we ensure that their parking is free.”
Valerie Desborough said on Facebook: “This is outrageous especially as the car park is so dangerous.
“It has no markings and the spaces are way too narrow. Talk about pray on the infirm.”
Another commenter, Emma Cumbor said: “Try working there and parking.
“You can park at the racecourse on a muddy field and then get a minibus down.
“I don’t know how much it costs but I think it’s between 30 to 60 pounds and not everyone gets one. It’s quite hard to get a permit.”
An NHS car parking management policy recommends that NHS car parks near city or town centres may need to ensure their car parking charges are not lower than local car parks, otherwise commuters and visitors may be tempted to use their car parks as cheaper alternatives.
The trust says its prices are based on the council car park on Chapel Street, which saw a revamp of security measures and a 15 percent increase in charges earlier this year.
It says that the funds raised from the hospital car park help to maintain and improve it, with any additional money raised going back into frontline patient services.
For the pick up and drop off parking bays, there remains a 20 minute grace period after which charges will apply.
Concessions on parking fares are still available for cancer centre patients, patients who are in hospital for a long period and their relatives and carers.
Parking also remains free for specific patient groups such as those undergoing regular dialysis.
A new underground car park for the hospital is planned as part of the hospital’s £485 million makeover.
The new parking charges are:
0 to 2 hours £4.20
2 to 4 hours £8.40
4 to 6 hours £11.00
6 to 12 hours £11.00
12 to 24 hours £18.20
Over 24 hours £18.00 plus the appropriate tariff above for the excess time parked
So pathetically sad – surely there’s now enough established technology to grant free parking to those attending for an outpatient appointment, or visiting an inpatient; whilst charging a high rate for long-stay/commuter parkers?
Thoughts go to machines in the garage which dispense a two-part ticket. The first part to be placed behind the car windscreen. The second part is carried into the hospital – where it will be punched for time of arrival at the ward or out-patient appointment. It is then punched again on completion of one’s visit.
Time is allowed to get back to one’s car, then the punched ticket is fed into the machine which lifts the barrier to exit the car-park.
If one has inadvertently over-stayed then an excess-charge will be levied. Ideally on a sliding-scale, ranging from minimal for a few minutes extra up to the full high rate for overstays of, say, 4 hours or longer?
With multiple managers in our Sussex NHS Trust being paid £80k pa or more, and seniors in NHS often getting rates well above that level, surely we all have a right to expect a lot more compassionate creativity from those well-paid ‘clever clogs’?
Especially as long-stay parking (other than by on-duty hospital workers) is an issue at many urban hospitals – probably justifying development/selection of a standardised national solution – with economies-of-scale arising from both bulk procurement of the initial equipment + operational supplies (such as those cards, if to be used), followed by a central servicing and repairs contract?
Hardly rocket-science, surely?
EDIT
The reference to high pay for senior managers should read as: NHS England.
Does anyone know if senior trust managers get free parking?.Do they claim on their expenses?.
All hospital staff should be given free parking permits .Visitors should be given free parking for at least 3 hours .
Really not happy my wife had a blood test car in car park for no longer than 35 mins £4.20 .
Really not happy 4.20 for 35 mins . Discrasfull.