Parking Charge Notice and NHS

[voorhees]

Thanks for receiving your post this morning,next time I will take option of obstructing traffic when dropping off at the Emergency Department rather than incur a forty pound fine.

Also thanks to the NHS in sorting my eldest with his dodgy Appendix,the fact that it took four visits in two years for you to finally remove it and not label it Gastro-enteritis was a joy,also the three hour wait for him on a trolley in the corridor along with several others whilst in excruciating pain begging for Oramorph was also an experience,the operation took place the next day but in-between that they tried to discharge him !! After saying all that I am still in a better place than that Tuesday morning,I was told he was unconscious in an ambulance on the way to hospital...not a feeling I would wish upon anyone.


rant over

 

[Mikemc]

There should be an option to opt out of NHS and go fully private. There services are ****e, why should we pay for parking at a hospital too?

 

[hades-]

There should be an option to opt out of NHS and go fully private. There services are ****e, why should we pay for parking at a hospital too?

anyone can go fully private

 

[jdp1962]

anyone can go fully private

Well, not quite, Bez. In theory maybe, but most people can't afford it.

 

[hades-]

money wasnt mentioned
i just said amyone can go private
in answer to mike saying there should be an option to opd out
buy yeah it does cost loads private.

 

[Mikemc]

money wasnt mentioned
i just said amyone can go private
in answer to mike saying there should be an option to opd out
buy yeah it does cost loads private.

I know anybody can, but you still have to pay you NI contributions

 

[beanoir]

Thanks for receiving your post this morning,next time I will take option of obstructing traffic when dropping off at the Emergency Department rather than incur a forty pound fine.

If it's not issed by local authority or Police but from a private parking company then just bin it.

I've never paid one in my life and just ignored the couple of empty threat letters (we could take you to court etc etc) that follow, then you never hear from them again. Private parking companies have no powers to fine you under any law. So this is why it's called a "charge" rather than a "fine". They will never take you to court, in fact they have never taking anybody to court and if they did it could only be a civil matter to reclaim their original loss, which in this case would be zero or the at the very most, the cost of the original parking ticket.

 

[MBK]

Voorhees, I suggest a strongly worded e-mail to the Chief Exec of whatever shower of an NHS outfit sent you the fine explaining the circumstances with your son. Mentioning words like "parking bureaucracy valued over regard for of patient safety" and asking if anything has really changed since the Francis Report should push enough buttons for an apology and this fine to go away.

 

[Beancounter]

We have a very similar situation with our son, had two emergency visits to A&E with suspected appedicitus in the last month, but discharged with acute gastroenteritis. Had various allergy tests too, but all negative.
Have just put the wheels in motion to get a referral on my company medical insurance as I fear we'll end up in the same boat as you, which I would much rather get it sorted before it gets to that point.

Good to hear your eldest is on the mend though.:thumbsup:

 

[StateOfPlay]

Private medical insurance is no good for emergency care. If you have an accident, or an emergency like a burst appendix, you NEED to go to A&E, not Bupa!

Anyway, Voorhees, I feel your pain regarding the charging for parking. I have to take my wife to hospital about 3 times a week at the moment, and it is costing me a small fortune in parking costs.

 

[StateOfPlay]

Voorhees, to make you feel better, even the drivers that work for the NHS have difficulty;

NHS van checked into garage with body still inside - Telegraph

 

[WAFTER]

I work as a volunteer at two hospitals both located within a few minutes of town centres. Be assured if parking was free the hospital car parks would be full by 8.30am, not by hospital vistors or staff but shoppers. As it is the free disabled bays at one of the sites is regularly used by the very fit Chav. type who breed to excess and visiting the maternity unit. In 20 years I have never seen a security gurard or parking attendant.
That said it IS a disgrace that ward visitors have to pay to park. Those that visit the long term ill can run up huge parking fees. However I have yet to be aware of a constructive suggestion to solve the problem, just plenty of energy moaning.

 

[voorhees]

I should have mentioned the missus is a nurse (she has to pay for parking when working)
Don't know the answer WAFTER but I do know some of the UK pay nothing ??!!
My GP confirmed the Bupa not doing emergency work.

 

[MBK]

Yep Voorhees, parking and prescriptions are free in Wales. Parking is no better or worse since the political decision to make it free. There is still a nominal £1 charge at private finance funded sites.

Parking is a demand problem, systems thinking projects have shown hospitals have a 20/30 space deficit - sometimes solved by using empty staff spaces. Town centre hospitals have barriers and token systems to keep out the shoppers and Uni students. Show your appointment card or get the token approved (eg for visitors) for free exit - still not ideal but it's fairer than charging.

 

[voorhees]

The staff car park has been halved recently and they are having to park anywhere they can,getting into work late sometimes.We are talking about a 'super hospital' which was built recently so it just shows the brains behind the planing was not up to the task,only one entrance and exit point to the place beggars belief.
I am going to price up the bupa even though it would not cater for emergencies.

 

[voorhees]

We have a very similar situation with our son, had two emergency visits to A&E with suspected appedicitus in the last month, but discharged with acute gastroenteritis. Had various allergy tests too, but all negative.
Have just put the wheels in motion to get a referral on my company medical insurance as I fear we'll end up in the same boat as you, which I would much rather get it sorted before it gets to that point.

Good to hear your eldest is on the mend though.:thumbsup:

What did they say ? The one they used last time was that his stomach wasn't firm to touch which is usually the case in appendicitis,I also checked ulcer colitis on the nhs direct website,thanks he's up and about now.

 

[sliced]

money wasnt mentioned
i just said amyone can go private
in answer to mike saying there should be an option to opd out
buy yeah it does cost loads private.

tell me about it, £15,000 for two weeks... but you can't put a price on health!

 

[Beancounter]

What did they say ? The one they used last time was that his stomach wasn't firm to touch which is usually the case in appendicitis,I also checked ulcer colitis on the nhs direct website,thanks he's up and about now.

Sorry, should have responded sooner
We had a referral and they have run some more tests. It seems they have ruled out IBS (blood profile is not anywhere near the same) and they are also ruling out the appendix as there doesn't seem to be any inflammation showing up.
It's a bit if a mystery at the moment, but following the results of the latest set of tests we are going to be 'on watch' for 2 months then take it from there.

It's a fine line of wanting to get it sorted out, without having my son subjected to 101 tests as it really doesn't seem to be anything obvious. It could be something that he has now got out of his system, but we'll see.

 

[ScottishA4B9]

At the end of the day, why should you have to pay to park at an NHS hospital when you have already paid for that car park in your NI contributions!!!!!!

 

[markos72]

Sorry for bringing up a slightly dated thread,but I was issued with a parking enforcement notice today when I took my brother to Gartnavel Hospital(Beatsons Clinic.)
He is wheelchair bound and on oxygen as he's awaiting a double lung transplant as a consequence of Leukaemia a few years back now.
He has a blue badge,but we couldn't park in disabled bays as they were full,and the public car park itself was packed.
I parked in the half-empty staff car park with the blue badge on display and thought nothing of it.His treatment over-ran today and we left about 6 hours later only to find the parking notice on the car.
After browsing google,and speaking to my 2 sisters(who are both nurses) they told me to ignore it,as they have been told,off the record,by parking attendants this is what to do.My uncle received similiar notice few months back in the same situation with my brother and ignored it too(we each take turns taking him to hospital)
Sorry for being wee bit long winded,but how did it go with your case voorhees,did you just file it in the rubbish bin?
Cheers
Mark.

 

[voorhees]

Mark,I'll be honest and say I read the advice too late
My lads good though :thumbsup: so in the grand scheme of things I ain't too peeved

 

[markos72]

good stuff

 

[Oranoco]

Check on Peppipoo but my understanding is the rules changed when clamping got banned. It is still my understanding that you should just bin the letters. If you acknowedge you were driving the vehicle you are stuffed but as only thje police can demand this information under section 172 you can ignore the letters. From what I read even if they do get you to court they will only get awarded damages, i.e the cost of the ticket.

 

[markos72]

Cheers oranoco,thats my understanding from various forums too

 

[NHN]

Sorry, should have responded sooner
We had a referral and they have run some more tests. It seems they have ruled out IBS (blood profile is not anywhere near the same) and they are also ruling out the appendix as there doesn't seem to be any inflammation showing up.
It's a bit if a mystery at the moment, but following the results of the latest set of tests we are going to be 'on watch' for 2 months then take it from there.

It's a fine line of wanting to get it sorted out, without having my son subjected to 101 tests as it really doesn't seem to be anything obvious. It could be something that he has now got out of his system, but we'll see.

Do any foods/drinks antagonise the issue, milk, cheese, wheat, coffee if he drinks it, does he have any stress atm as school, home, without being personal, does he suffer from hot sweats after eating, any acid reflux, what's his diet consist of?

 

[MartayMcFly]

I work as a volunteer at two hospitals both located within a few minutes of town centres. Be assured if parking was free the hospital car parks would be full by 8.30am, not by hospital vistors or staff but shoppers. As it is the free disabled bays at one of the sites is regularly used by the very fit Chav. type who breed to excess and visiting the maternity unit.

ARI in Aberdeen is the opposite way round... the local street are all permit/residents parking so people working in the hospital won't take up local on-street spaces. They are at least appearing to keep the public/visitors car park free (for now) but still no sign of the proposed multi-storey effort from a few years back.

Staff only get the option of applying for a permit to park in the staff car park if they live out-with a certain distance (which makes sense) and even then spaces are limited. If my mum has to go to a GP or another hospital somewhere (as she does as part of several ongoing medical studies she works on) then she wastes at least half an hour having to walk home and get the car, then park at the house and walk back down to the hospital. Not exactly the end of the world, but hardly ideal.

The only solution is to make more spaces. There are more cars now than when any hospital I've ever been to was built, and more cars means need more spaces. Not just at hospital, but offices etc need to start providing parking to avoid the situation you're describing of commuters filling every free parking space within 2 miles of a city centre. Britain is just unfortunately not designed for the number of cars we have on the roads, and it's a little late to look at underground parking or more city-centre multi-storeys now.

 

[WAFTER]

We live in an overcrowded island, too many people have too many kids and the NHS is tending the needs of much of Eastern European visitors. Get used to it for it will get worse

 

[jbh]

my youngest son spends a lot of time at the Edinburgh sick kids Hospital
there is 2 car parks the largest one is for staff which is permit only the other one is for patients which is free but has 12 spaces. Ive never managed to get a space in there.

which then forces me to park out on the street which is a max 4 hour stay and is charged by the council.
I have seen me being in the hospital for over 6 hours with my son. I need to come out and move the car up the street and then buy another ticket. that's also if you can get parked on the street!! there's just not enough spaces. I have spent over £15 on parking there some days.