"Fantastic staff and service but upsetting parking…"

I accompanied my husband to visit the hospital three times last month for his cardiology procedure. We paid the parking fee accordingly when we attended Pre Operative Assessment on 2 December and following procedure on 9 December. In between the two dates there was a pre-operation Covid test arranged by hospital on Sunday, 6 December. The appointment time was 1:10pm. I was instructed by the reception staff in COVID POD (WISDEM CENTRE) that they let patients park for free on that day by noting down the car registration. So I told them my car plate number. After the test, we left the car park without paying the parking. Amid the middle of pandemic, my husband and I felt so impressed and very much appreciated the measures taken by the hospital to make our lives easier.

Soon after my husband’s procedure, I was shocked when I received a Parking Charge Notice from the Car Parking Partnership demanding £100 for no parking purchased of parking event on 6 December. I immediately made an appeal online with a detailed explanation of what I had been told to do by the staff from COVID POD on the day, but yesterday they informed me that my appeal was unsuccessful and that I need to pay the parking ticket in full. We have always paid for parking when visiting the hospital before and have never owed money in our life. What motivation would we have to skip the £2.80 (12:42 – 13:32) parking fee otherwise? This whole ordeal has brought even more anxiety to me and my family which I feel increasingly unable to cope with during current lockdown life.

I thought we were not the only ones benefited from free Car Park Policy for pre-operation Covid test patients on 6 December 2020 and hope something can be done to resolve this in a fair and equitable manner. Many thanks.