How St Helier Hospital cured its car parking problem

I think all the debate highlights the difficulties that the hospitals face in trying to provide parking for all of the many different groups that use the hospital. Different groups have correspondingly different needs and it is difficult to design a system that can be of helpful to as many people as possible without making a system that is impossible to understand for patients. I think that in view of this, the aspect that I was most happy with, was the fact that St Helier undertook a wide ranging consultation with many people to try to understand the different needs of the various groups that use the hospital. It shows that there isn’t a one size fits all approach and local hospitals need to react to local needs.

We have been fortunate in that, having reached our eighties or thereabouts, so far we have not needed to use our local hospital (The County Hospital in Dorchester, Dorset). However, recent health problems have resulted in a number of visits being required, and we have found the hospital car park almost always crammed full, with charges being made, presumably to deter local workers from using it as a cheap alternative to othet town car parks.

We feel strongly that those with health problems should not be penalised financially, whether as patients or family visitors, and while we acknowledge that the hopspital needs to maximise its income from parking charges, in fairness, a “token” scheme would be better, with bona fide hospital users (patients and visitors) being issued with tokens (perhaps with a small charge) to enter the car park. This would still prevent unauthorised users from filling the spaces, but would be seen as a better way to run affairs.

If St Helier’s parking is improved, I dread to think how it must have been beforehand. In recent experiences at the hospital I found: Very few disabled bays. Disabled bays at front entrance set out so that exiting cars block cars entering, causing bottlenecks. It is almost impossible to park, get to any department, return and exit within the 20 minute free period. There are no seats for frail passengers to sit near Drop Off points while driver parks the car. Queues build at entrance barrier to car park, sometimes extending into the main road outside. It appears entrance barriers only lift when a car exits, but having entered, there are lots of empty bays available. Queuing to enter can take 10 minutes. This makes leaving frail passenger at a drop-off point untenable. Entrance barriers and pay machines were sometimes not working. Did not see any notices about parking refunds for late appointments. (Suspect obtaining a refund would entail a further long walk around the hospital.)

St Helier may have improved it`s car parking, however there are still too few disabled parking bays.

Kent and Canterbury has very poor signs, and you are expected to read their notice boards at the enterance of the car parks, which is far too far for disabled people or the elderly to walk. Signing is bad, often written on the road , which is wearing thin. If other cars are parked over the road markings you cannot see what the markings are. The disabled spaces are free, but there are not enough of them, and you cannot park in a bay for free unless it is designated a disabled bay. You have to buy a two hour ticket as a minimum, the rates are high and always going up. Nobody ever wins any appeal, and they make comments about their ballif company they use if you do not pay after appealing, which I feel is trying to intimidate. I am refusing to pay the fine they gave me, because it was so badly signposted, will keep you posted on what happens. It is disgraceful, especially for the elderly. My mother had a dreadful time using it, and ended up with a fine as she did not buy a ticket quick enough. Dad had dementia, and she was busy worrying about him wandering off at the time. Try and avoid if possible. The parking is every bit as badly run as the care on the wards. Not a thought for the elderly at all, but then what is new in this country!

The trouble is that no one in authority takes responsibility for what they do. It is possible, as has been suggested by a tv programme whose name I forget, that some of the people who run parking management schemes have criminal records. It is good that such people can get jobs, but they should not be in positions where they have power over other people, particularly the sick and elderly.

Unfortunately it is not possible to avoid hospital car parks if you are sick, and those that run them know this. These car parks provide idea fodder of vulnerable people that can be bullied with impunity by those that delight in this sort of behaviour.

The ultimate blame must be with those in government who planned hospitals with inadequate parking space.

The idea is to force people to use public transport on the grounds of it being more environmentally friendly. This is a fallacy because although the “miles per gallon” per passenger may be less, the figure is based on a full bus, whereas busses are seldom full. The number of miles travelled to get between two points is very much more using public transport.

In addition, using public transport is much more stressful and people with infectious diseases can spread them or add to their portfolio of illnesses. This stress and infection leads to more work for the already overstretched NHS, and in the end costs more money. Several changes during a journey on public transport can also result in patients missing appointments, causing more chaos in hospitals.