Hospital bosses in Newcastle have defended a decision to massively increase parking charges – and hinted that NHS staff in the city could soon have to pay to park again.
Higher tariffs came into force at the Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman Hospital on July 1, with the cost more than doubling in some cases. But city councillors were told on Thursday that the price hike had been successful in deterring commuters from taking spaces away from patients and hospital staff.
Newcastle City Council’s health scrutiny committee heard that the problem had become particularly apparent at the RVI as its car park, previously cheaper than other sites in the city centre, would fill up shortly after 9am and lead to big queues on surrounding streets and even back onto the Central Motorway – making it hard for ambulances and taxis to get to hospital. Parking all day at one of the Newcastle Hospitals sites previously cost £7.20 on a weekday and just £3.60 at weekends, but a stay longer than five hours now incurs an £18 charge.
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Caroline Docking, the hospitals trust’s assistant chief executive, said the switch had succeeded in making the RVI “unattractive to park in all day” and has led to an increase in spaces available for patients. Concessions are available for many patients, however, and Ms Docking said work was still being done to make everyone aware of the discounts.
A long-stay patient tariff is offered that caps the cost of parking at £8 after three hours, while much cheaper prices are also available for people who attend monthly appointments or who have been unexpectedly admitted for treatment. Parking is also free for disabled people, people attending frequent outpatient appointments, unplanned maternity deliveries, and parents of sick children staying overnight.
David Malone, the hospitals’ transport and travel advisor, said patients would be refunded if they discovered the concessions after they had already paid their fee. He told the committee: “It is important to recognise that when people come to hospital they can be distressed and upset, they don’t have time to read those things. But they then find out about the concession post-visit and then we will refund them because that is the right thing to do.”
Mr Malone also revealed that staff parking charges were now “under review”. The government introduced free parking for NHS staff in hospital car parks after the Covid pandemic struck in 2020, until that offer was removed as of April 1 – a move heavily criticised by unions.
Bosses in Newcastle agreed to keep offering free parking to its workers until this September at the earliest, but could soon reintroduce those charges. Ms Docking said it was “not a simple binary decision” but that there was an “uncomfortable discrepancy” between staff being able to park for free while others paid to use public transport, at a time when people should be encouraged to use their cars less.
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