Patients who spend more than four hours in a health board’s free car parks will be fined. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have decided to issue the penalties despite the Scottish Government scrapping parking charges at the country’s hospitals.
Other controls – including cutting the number of spaces – have also infuriated staff who say it is making them late for work. Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie, said: “The four-hour target time for A&E treatment has been consistently missed by the SNP government and so to allow people no more than four hours for parking before penalties are issued will not always be sufficient.
“Attending hospital can be an anxious time for patients and their loved ones and so the hassle and expense of parking should not add to that. It is simply shocking that hardworking NHS staff are having to pay through the nose or park miles away from hospitals.
"Our valued NHS staff need to have proper provision to be able to get to and from their work and complete their shift without any added pressure trying to park.”
One patient said: “In the past few years there have been no parking charges at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, with about three floors reserved for staff to use and the other three floors for patients. Since June 1, only one floor is reserved for staff, which is very limited and can only be used with an official parking permit, which is very difficult to obtain.
“The result is, with very few exceptions, all staff are effectively prohibited from parking in that multi-storey.
“Instead, they need to park in an adjoining street which can be dangerous for the staff – especially late at night or early in the morning – and presents potential problems for their cars being stolen or vandalised.
"All the other floors have ‘free parking’ for patients and visitors but restricted to four hours maximum, and thereafter there are high penalties enforced.”
He added: “If people attending the GRI hospital, park and stay over four hours they face a huge penalty charge.
“Considering NHS Scotland is not achieving its target of dealing with A&E patients within four hours, it is likely a significant number of people attending GRI will face that penalty charge. Even worse, people attending the GRI Maternity Department are very, very unlikely to be out within four hours so in all probability will face a fine.”
One medic said: “If you just work at QEUH you don’t get a permit. Upshot is deserted carparks, with only management and a few others parked, and nurses stressed out of their box coming to work at 7am trying to get few spaces with free access.
“A car park across the street costs £5 a day. Former FM Nicola Sturgeon abolishes costs for parking but staff have to either park illegally, get there at 7am or pay £5. Staff are really stressed and unhappy.
"If you’ve kids to drop at nursery you’re stuffed, so it hits low wage workers/women most.”
And a nurse at GRI said: “We’ve been told to get public transport instead of driving to work but that is all well and good until you are working a 12-hour shift and then have to spend another two to three hours getting home on buses.”
A health board spokesman said: “During peak times we operate a fair usage policy of a maximum stay of four hours for patient and visitor spaces to mitigate against the misuse of spaces by people who are not using the hospital. The majority of patients and visitors do not require more than four hours, however, where more than four hours are required, arrangements can be made.
“Only where parking has exceeded four hours, a car has been parked outwith a dedicated space or in an unsafe manner, would a penalty notice be issued.”
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
