Hospital worker's TEN YEAR wait for a car parking space

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Re: Hospital worker's TEN YEAR wait for a car parking space

Postby dutchman » Mon Oct 24, 2022 6:02 pm

Coventry NHS trust collects £4 million in car park charges - easily highest in England

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Coventry's leading NHS trust scooped a whopping £4million in car parking income in the last year - easily the highest amount of any trust in England. University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW) collected a staggering £4,128,328 in parking charges.

The figure - more than double the next-highest trust amount in England - was revealed in NHS Digital's Estates, Returns, Information, Collection (ERIC) reports for 2021-22. The findings come amid reports Health Secretary Therese Coffey was considering plans to remove free parking for those who need it most.

Currently, all England hospital trusts must provide free parking for four groups - the disabled, outpatients with at least three hospital appointments in a month, hospital staff working night shifts and the parents of sick children staying overnight. The Health Secretary has confirmed "this will not change" and that her list of priorities was about "putting patients first".

The next highest car parking income sum on the ERIC reports was that of £2,488,977 by University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust. That sum was followed by the £2,458,568 as collected by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

In March, UHCW - which runs University Hospital Coventry in Walsgrave and the Hospital of St Cross in Rugby - increased its parking charges for visitors and staff. Since April 1, visitors have been charged £3.20 for up to one hour, £4.40 for up to two hours, £5 for up to three hours and £6 for up to four hours.

On its website the trust states it "does not generate any car park revenue directly from either staff or visitors". A trust spokesperson told CoventryLive: "A large proportion of our car parks at University Hospital Coventry form part of a Private Finance Initiative contract and as a result we generate minimal car park revenue directly from staff, patients or visitors.

"The figure highlighted (in the reports) includes VAT which is passed on to the Government by the trust and our PFI partner. We work very closely with our PFI partner to minimise the impact of charges for patients, visitors and staff by providing a subsidy.

"Any further subsidies would take money from budgets used for patient care. Money generated from parking fees at UHCW trust goes toward essential running costs of the car parks and surrounding areas, including maintenance, security, lighting, improvements and increased capacity."

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Re: Hospital worker's TEN YEAR wait for a car parking space

Postby dutchman » Tue May 30, 2023 3:58 pm

'Disbelief and disgust' as UHCW staff car park prices to rise to £57

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Staff at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) will face a £7 increase in parking fees. This means doctors, midwives, surgeons, nurses and more will have to pay £57 a month, which will become effective from June 1.

The parking rate was previously increased to £50 in April 2022, but has increased again due to the rise of inflation, but some are not happy about this new change.

CoventryLive spoke to a staff member who works for UHCW, who wished to remain anonymous, about the impact this has had.

"I have worked for the trust for up to 15 years and I am very disappointed about the increase, especially as we had a £7 increase last year. There was a petition last year, but sadly it didn't have any impact."

Her reaction to the news was "disbelief" and "disgust" when the email about the changes was made to staff on Thursday (May 25).

"The email went out with changes to come into effect on 1st June, and the trust stated this gives time to make other arrangements. I do not believe this gives enough time, and I was upset about the apparent lack of staff consultation on the matter. This feels like another kick in the teeth - pay rises are not in line with inflation and yet they are increasing staff parking in line with the retail price index, it doesn't feel fair."

The staff member doesn't live in Coventry, and has to drive from over 10 miles away, hence the need for parking on site.

"Alternative off-site parking was mentioned, but no details were given. They gave ideas on reduced rate train and bus fares and the cycle to work scheme, but these public modes of transport don't get everyone to work on time. They aren't always practical for shift work, and cycling from further areas involves major roads or motorways which can be dangerous."

She wants to raise awareness of this issue, but knows that 'nothing will change' as the decision is already made, especially as the petition didn't work last year.

"We aren't valued here. Staff who work in the NHS do so because we care, and in return we would like fair treatment. In education and policing, there are no parking fees, but my partner who works at George Eliot pays less than £20 a month to park."

She said she has started to look for other jobs due to this parking issue: "I think this will be a major factor in staff not wanting to come to work for the trust, and a factor in staff retention."

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust said: "The difficult decision to update monthly staff car parking charges has been made as a result of inflation rises in line with the Retail Price Index set as part of our car park contractual obligations."

“We delayed implementing these changes by two months to allow for a detailed review of alternative options but none of these were deemed to be financially viable. All money generated goes directly towards improvements and running costs of our car parks so budgets for patient care do not fund them."

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Re: Hospital worker's TEN YEAR wait for a car parking space

Postby rebbonk » Tue May 30, 2023 9:05 pm

Disbelief? Why? If anyone had listened a certain Mr. Nellist explained all of this.

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Re: Hospital worker's TEN YEAR wait for a car parking space

Postby dutchman » Sat Dec 30, 2023 8:21 pm

Coventry NHS trust tops UK list for hospital car park charges collecting a huge £8m

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Coventry NHS trust claimed a huge £8m in car parking fees - the most in the country. University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW) collected a staggering £8m in charges from both visitors and staff.

It is the most by any trust in the country according to the NHS Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC) data for 2022/23. However, the trust has been quick to state it receives a 'minimal' amount from the total as most of the car parks are run by a Private Finance Initiative (PFI), not the trust itself.

The trust added that the income it does receive is spent on essential running costs as well as lighting. A spokesperson for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust said: "A large proportion of our car parks form part of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract and as a result, we generate minimal car park revenue directly from staff, patients or visitors.

"We work very closely with our PFI partner to minimise the impact of charges for patients, visitors and staff by providing a subsidy. Any further subsidies would take money from budgets used for patient care.

“Money generated from parking fees goes toward essential running costs of the car parks and the surrounding areas, including maintenance, security, lighting, improvements and increased capacity."

Earlier this year, CoventryLive reported that, from June 1, doctors, midwives, surgeons, nurses and had to pay £57 a month to park. This was increased from the £50 monthly charge set in April 2022.

The data has been revealed as part of a Liberal Democrat campaign which says car parking fees have soared by 50 per cent. They have dubbed it a “tax on caring” and said patients and visitors shelled out a staggering £146 million in hospital car parking fees last year.

They are calling on the Government to work with NHS trusts to reduce fees for visitors and staff, and introduce a ‘Visiting and Caring Fund’ to ensure that no one is shelling out huge sums to visit loved ones as well as to support NHS staff with parking charges.

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