Under-pressure Belfast Health Trust workers face losing free parking passes in a radical overhaul of how the permits are awarded, it has emerged.
Trust chiefs are reviewing which workers get free parking amid ongoing space pressure on sites controlled by the health body.
Bosses say changes are essential as they have limited space for staff including nurses, doctors and porters to leave their cars, but sources have indicated that there is some anger with people turned down for a pass having to either pay for parking or rely on public transport to get to work.
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A number of staff members with existing passes have failed to obtain a new one under the ongoing review.
In a booklet circulated to workers, the Trust says they “do not have sufficient car parking spaces to meet demand from staff”, adding that car parks “reached capacity a number of years ago”.
To address the problem, the booklet states, a “new application, assessment, verification and allocation process” is ongoing to decide who gets a free pass and who does not. However, the move has sparked some concern with unions monitoring the situation closely.
Sources have indicated that some staff members turned down for free passes feel they have been treated unfairly.
One source familiar with the situation told Belfast Live: “There’s people who do shift work who may have to start at 7am or something like that but live out in the country and they’ve been turned down. They’re being told they can get the bus when it’s clear there’s no buses that are going to get you to the City for a 7am shift from where they live. If you get a ‘no’ they’re giving you what they call a ‘personal travel plan’ which by the look of it is a bus timetable.
“There’s also people who’ve had a pass previously but under the new process they’ve not got a new one, so certainly there’s some anger out there. This is being trialled at the City where there’s issues alright, but when they roll it out at the Royal I’d say there’s going to be chaos.”
In its information booklet on the transition, the Trust adds that there are already “lengthy waiting lists” for free parking passes. They add that “many staff who need their car for business purposes or have no other travel options, often have to park in nearby streets or in the public car parks and pay the public tariff rate”. The “current arrangement is clearly not fair”, the booklet adds.
Trust sources have conceded that some people who have had free passes “may not” get a new one under the current criteria. They add that revenue generated by Trust car parks also goes towards patient care as well as the upkeep of the car parks.
Trust chiefs are understood to be reviewing their land holdings to establish if any more parking space can be found, but it is believed this will not yield many more spaces in the short term.
Sources say there is an appeals process for people unhappy with the outcome of the decision to deny them a pass. One source also claimed that some commuters are using the Royal Victoria Hospital car park to leave cars before walking into the city centre which is adding pressure to capacity.
In a statement, the Trust said: “Belfast Trust understands the very difficult challenges faced by staff and patients where car packing capacity is limited. This coupled with the inappropriate use of designated disabled car parking spaces and set down and pick up areas has at times had a detrimental impact on traffic congestion; particularly on hospital sites. On occasions this has seriously impacted on emergency services vehicle access.
“Notwithstanding these issues some progress has been made, much to the benefit of patients, especially in relation to disabled car parking access, the introduction of additional set down and pick-up locations and unhindered access for wheelchair users via footpaths.
"The Trust is pleased to note a significant reduction in complaints regarding disabled parking and ease of access to Trust facilities by wheelchair. This has been achieved by the introduction of traffic enforcement measures.
“Vital to all of this is a new eligibility criteria which seeks to provide a mechanism upon which those staff in most need of car parking are prioritised in a fair and equitable manner. To date applications for car parking permits at the City Hospital site far exceed capacity as the Trust continues to process applications.”
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