Parking charges at Coventry's University Hospital rise again

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Bosses say "decision not taken lightly"



Parking charges at Coventry’s University Hospital are rising again from TODAY.

Hospital bosses say they have taken the “difficult decision” to increase prices for parking as it can no longer subsidise the car park.

They say that upping the charges means they will not have to take money lined up to help pay for patient care.

The car parks is operated by a private company as part of a PFI contract and the price rise comes almost 12 months to the day since the last increase.

From today the new parking prices will be:

Up to 10mins - remains free

1 hour - rises to £2.70 from £2.50

2 hours - rises to £3.40 from £3.70

3 hours - rises to £4.30 from £4.10

4 hours - rises to £5.20 from £4.90

5 hours - rises to £6.70 from £6.40

6 hours - rises to £8.30 from £7.90

7 hours and over - rises to £9.60 from £9.20.

Parking will remain free for oncology (cancer) patients attending for chemotherapy/radiotherapy treatment, renal dialysis patients, parents of sick children who stay in hospital overnight to accompany their children, and those collecting paperwork related to a bereavement.

Lincoln Dawkin, director of estates at UHCW, said: “We appreciate that the price of car parking is an emotional issue for a lot of our patients and visitors and this decision has not been taken lightly.

“Unfortunately, we are now in a position where if we did not increase the prices we would have to take money from budgets meant for patient care.

“Obviously we cannot allow that. However we will continue to support patients where we can by providing free parking for patients who visit the hospital regularly such as people having intravenous chemotherapy and kidney dialysis.”

Anyone with concerns over the rise in parking charges can write to: Car Parking, Chief Executive Officer, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry, CV2 2DX.

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Here's how much University Hospital pays to private company which runs car park

University Hospital bosses paid more than £670,000 to the private company that runs the hospital’s much-maligned car park over the past year.

More than half a million pounds - £521,847 - was paid as a subsidy to car park operators ISS in 2016/17, while another £152,000 was provided to cover the costs of those allowed free parking.

This includes cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, dialysis patients and parents staying in overnight with sick children.

The figures were released to the Telegraph in the aftermath of car park charges being increased once more at the hospital in Clifford Bridge Road, Walsgrave.

Patients and visitors are now paying between an extra 20p to 40p per hour after prices went up on Monday.

And despite the increase, the hospital still expects to contribute another £560,000 to running the car park in 2017/18.

Lincoln Dawkin, director of estates at University Hospital, stated “this decision has not been taken lightly” and “if we did not increase the prices we would have to take money from budgets meant for patient care”.

The latest price hike was met with anger by residents with some calling it “scandalous” and an “absolute disgrace”.

A spokesperson for the UHCW NHS Trust said: “In 2016/17 visitor charges subsidy was £521,847. In addition, the Trust provided car park concessions for the groups below which cost £152,391:

“Oncology (cancer) patients attending for outpatient intravenous chemotherapy/radiotherapy treatment; renal dialysis patients; parents of sick children (who stay in hospital overnight to accompany their sick children); those collecting paperwork related to a bereavement.

“For 2017/18 the visitor charges subsidy is estimated to be £400,000 and concessions is estimated to be £160,000.”

The spokesperson added that the hospital trust has “subsidised onsite car parking for patients and visitors since University Hospital opened in 2006”.