"Parking"

Dear Ma33a1

I'm so sorry to read your post. I can see how this would have added to your stress at such a trying time.

We are working to try to protect our partking spaces, as we realise how difficult it can be for patients and their loved ones when they are attending the hospital (and indeed our staff). It is a challenge as we have no statutary powers to do this. We regularly apply stickers to cars parked inappropriately, and we periodically have our service provider staff manning the exit towards the station to challenge people who use our carpark to 'park and ride'. We recently also tried a new initiative where we 'shut' one car park until after 9am so that this could then be used by people such as yourself, who are attending outpatient and rehab facilities. We are considering the success of this approach, and will possibly try this again in the new year.

We will keep working on this problem, but can I say thank you to you for raising this on the Patient Opinion forum, as this also helps to let people see and understand the real impact this has on our patients, their loved ones and our staff.

I do hope you continue to recover well and please accept my best wishes for the festive season.

Thanks

Susan