Attending a paediatric outpatient clinic appointment with 2 young children, one of whom is autistic, the other received a painful and distressing procedure. The disabled parking behind the children’s hospital had parking bays full of industrial bins and empty metal cages. Cars trying to pass each other had to turn in already limited space got stuck causing blockages, due to these cages placed all along the laneway leading to disabled parking bays which were inaccessible.
There was a transit van very poorly parked at the children’s hospital entrance blocking the turning circle.
We abandoned trying for a disabled space and spent an hour queuing for the main car park before we could get a space. We were 45 minutes late for our appointment, and are extremely grateful for the understanding staff who accommodated us and ensured my daughter was seen and treated.
I can only imagine the additional stress this issue must cause for staff from fraught, frustrated and distressed patients coming to appointments after trying to park.
My autistic son became extremely distressed and agitated being stuck in the hour long car park queue. After her appointment my young daughter had to limp, crying in the rain all the way back to the main car park after her painful procedure.
I would query if the high rate of DNA’s (£250 loss per appointment) at the hospital are caused by people unable to tolerate pain/distress/anxiety by the parking situation. An hour in a car parking queue for a disabled person is unacceptable. Blocking disabled parking bays with bins and cages at the children’s hospital is also unacceptable.
I know the hospital offer park and ride for staff at the Blacks Road site. Could an all day park and ride shuttle service, with an off site secure car park, similar to an airport type system, be put in place for able bodied people, or those not requiring assistance/disabled parking facilities as a matter of urgency?
Children, disabled people, elderly or vulnerable attending the hospital or receiving treatment must be made a priority on the existing site. At very least the disabled parking immediately in the vicinity of the children’s hospital, in the lane way from the main entrance to the falls road entrance, should be tidied up, cleared of industrial bins and the metal cages, with the available space fully maximised for disabled parking. A tidy up costs nothing.
"Disabled parking"
About: Royal Victoria Hospital / Outpatients Services Royal Victoria Hospital Outpatients Services BT12 6BA
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