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Car parking

Posted By Mrsmoo

"Car parking"

About: Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick children

(as a parent/guardian),

Cars parking at front entrance and on the footpath making it impassable for people in wheelchairs or prams. We had to walk on the road past several cars also blocking the entrance making it a hazard and dangerous. It's an absolute disgrace the parking facilities here and the fact they are unattended and cars are just being abandoned everywhere including in disabled spots without disabled badge making it twice as hard for people with disabled vehicles who require the room impossible to park. I am beyond disgusted and angry.  The pitiful standards of the main children's hospital in Belfast is shameful, in my view.  Something needs done ASAP before an accident happens. Ambulances would also struggle to get access.  This is unacceptable. The hospital should be taking more responsibility. 

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Responses

Response from Susan Garland, PPI Support Services Manager, Logistics, BHSCT 12 months ago
Susan Garland
PPI Support Services Manager, Logistics,
BHSCT

Submitted on 01/05/2024 at 17:35
Published on Care Opinion at 17:35

Dear Mrs Moo

Please accept my apologies for your carparking experience on the RVH site at the Royal Hospital for sick Children..

The Trust, due to the ongoing parking infringements and associated risk, use a parking enforcement company to enforce on our acute sites. RBHSC is one of a few areas that are proving very difficult to manage given the amount of cars that are left in unauthorised areas for long periods of time.

The Enforcement company regularly give out Parking Penalty Notices to those that do not comply with our parking regulations and notices are posted clearly throughout the site.

We have also in this area put up barriers alongside of RBHSC to allow access to the main hospital.

The majority of patient/visitor RVH carparking spaces are taken by staff who pay the public rate to park each day and this impacts on access for our patients and visitors. The Belfast Trust encourages staff to commute to work by public transport, walking, cycling or to car share. Despite this, the demand for carparking by staff exceeds the limited amount of carparking available on each site – particularly on the RVH site. This can add to the anxiety that many patients and their families may already be experiencing and leads to understandable levels of frustration.

To ensure that available staff parking provision is targeted towards those in greatest need, the Trust recently agreed to apply carpark access criteria for staff. The new staff permit system is already in place on the BCH site and applications are currently being assessed on the RVH site. This will result in more spaces being available for patients and their families. In the interim, the Trust provide a free Park and Ride service from Blacks Road to the RVH from 7am to 6:30pm on weekdays to try an encourage staff not to park in visitor spaces.

I hope the above outlines the actions the Trust is taking to improve the carparking experience for our patients and their families and I apologise again for your carparking experience

Kindest regards

Susan Garland

Logistics Support Services Manager

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