Confusion over changes to car parking at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital left one NHS worker facing a battery of seven parking fines - adding to the stress of a cost-of-living crisis.
But after ChronicleLive raised the issue, Parkingeye - the firm which manages parking for the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust - confirmed it would, as a gesture of good will, quash six of the seven fines. Kathryn Wilson works at the hospital trust as part of the domestic team. Her job has involved playing a key role in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, as she is among the staff to carry out the vital rapid cleaning needed to keep infection under control. She said elements of this had been "horrendous".
In November last year, with building work beginning at the Freeman, parking rules were changed and some staff saw the number of areas they were allowed to park in reduced. The trust sent out information via email and put up signs in the car park and in staff areas, but Kathryn said due to the busy nature of her job she - and a number of others - had not been aware of the changes.
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A spokesperson for the trust has stressed that changes to staff parking are "shared widely" through meetings and a range of "communication channels" regularly. They said staff parking permits were clear about where people were allowed to park and added that the trust "ensured visible signage" was in place in its car parks explaining the rules.
Staff at the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust who have a permit allowing on-site parking are not currently being charged to park - and have not been so since March 2020.
The confusion has led to a string of PCN notices arriving in the post this Spring. Kathryn had so far received three in the post, but Parking Eye said there were four more in the pipeline. Another member of staff has confirmed to ChronicleLive that she also had received three fines and was in the process of appealing them with Parkingeye.
Kathryn said: "I have been parking at the same place since 2017. I have had not problem or issue. But all of a sudden people started getting fines. When I got the first one I thought it must be a computer error. They've said they sent an email briefing, but we don't use our work emails. By the time you get into work it's 'head down, get on with work'. It's not something we can look at. I had no idea."
The Fenham woman added that working during the pandemic had been tough at times, adding: "It can be horrendous. Especially when there's lots of staff sickness - you've been the only one on the rapid response. It's been incredibly up and down for a year and a half."
Before learning that the majority of her penalty notices were to be quashed, Kathryn said she was "losing sleep" and concerned about the impact of the fines on her credit rating. "I couldn't get my head around it at all," she said.
"I feel better now, not 100% but obviously I'd rather pay the one than seven. But it's definitely better news, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's just not hanging over me, it's a real relief."
In a statement, a Parking Eye spokesperson said it had been working with the trust for nine years to "significantly improve" how on-site car parking operates. They said this had made parking "easier and safer" for staff, patients and visitors.
Explaining that since November the blue car park at the Freeman had not been covered by staff permits, they added: "Following a review we will cancel six of these charges as a gesture of goodwill, however the motorist will still be liable for one charge due to the administration and management fees associated with her unsuccessful appeal to POPLA, the independent body which reviews all cases."
They said the firm operated an appeals process audited by the British Parking Association - and encouraged people with mitigating circumstances to appeal penalty notices.
A Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust spokesperson said: "Building work at the Freeman Hospital meant that some staff were no longer able to access one of our smaller car parks. Any changes to staff parking arrangements are shared widely through forums and meetings and all of our trust communication channels on a regular basis. We also ensure that we have visible signage in place across our car parks."
They added that staff permits were "very clear" about where people should park and added: "If a member of staff receives a notice in error, we would advise them to contact our car parking team or follow the guidance on their ticket."
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