Hospitals named and shamed over car park clamping

09/06/2010

 

The friends and families of sick patients are being targeted with unfair parking charges, clamping and fines, according to a consumer watchdog.

Alarming evidence on charges, profiteering and a hard-line approach to drivers have been exposed by consumer watchdog ‘Which?’.

The group found a wide variation in the frequency with which patients were clamped and fined for breaching rules.

Using data from 126 Freedom of Information requests, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust came top for clamping.

According to data, the trust clamped 1,671 cars in 2008/09 and made £1,851,271 profit from its car parks.

Leeds General Infirmary issued the most parking tickets - over 10,000, generating £142,000 profit.
The Royal Derby was the target of the most criticism - it received 82 complaints in 2008-09.

Meanwhile, Barnet & Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, in North London, had the highest minimum charge of £4 for two hours' parking.

According to Which?, 70 per cent of people have experienced problems with an NHS hospital car park and for nearly half, parking made what can be a very stressful time even worse.

Previous research by the organisation identified that some NHS Trusts are routinely making more than £1million a year in profit from their car parks.

Which? rated hospitals against criteria based on capacity, convenience of payment methods, frequency and type of penalties, charging structure and profits, and communication with patients.

It found a number of hospitals do offer a fair and efficient system of parking, with the Royal United Hospital Bath top of the list thanks to a large number of priority spaces, a comprehensive variety of payment methods and excellent patient communication.

Others to score well were the North Devon District Hospital, the Royal Preston, Leicester Royal Infirmary and Warwick Hospital.

Which? chief executive, Peter Vicary, said: “Now we know which hospitals are scoring badly, they must take action and improve.

“Visiting hospital is stressful enough without having to worry about being clamped or getting a ticket.”

The watchdog is now calling for NHS hospitals to improve car parking services by banning clamping and towing. It is also campaigning for a ‘fairer’ charging system. This will include allowing patients to pay for their parking on departure rather than upon arrival and reimbursing patients for charges if their appointments are cancelled after they arrive on site.

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