"Good quality care at A&E, shame about the parking!"

I had to attend A&E with my daughter in the middle of the night. We were seen as quickly as can be expected given the late hour and my daughter ended up being admitted for the night for observation. I can't fault the staff on A&E, who were all very supportive and professional in their approach. Likewise the ward staff (Ward 8, I think) were all very helpful and kept me informed when I asked them to. This isn't the first time this has happened and every time, the staff have been marvellous, although sometimes the wait at night time can be very long, especially when more than one discipline is involved. I have just one complaint: the new parking system. The previous system was a pay-and-display system which only operated during the day and even during the day, you could always leave a note if you were in A&E and were unable to pay at the time. The new system is automated and operates round the clock. This means two weeks after the incident above, I received a £70 penalty notice for parking outside A&E in the middle of the night! Obviously, when you arrive at A&E in an emergency situation, the last thing you have time for is sorting out the parking fee, even assuming you've had the presence of mind to find the right change when you leave home. I've spoken to the hospital about this and they've agreed to waive the charge but it's still been a shock I could've done without. They've told me that next time I need to give my registration details to the receptionist but really, I think they should ask for that along with all the other personal details they take when you attend.