Hospital Trust raking in parking fees!

Date published: 31/05/2008

Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has made £1.5 million in parking fees at the four hosiptals it runs in the region; £224,586 from Rochdale Infirmary of which £111,524 from visitors, £112,062 from staff.

However, not satisifed with raking in these huge amounts from their captive audience, the Trust has now decided on a new parking policy whereby staff will have to meet certain criteria and be awarded points on a scale to determine if they will be allowed to pay to park at work at all!

Infirmary staff have reacted furiously to the news, published in the Trust's newsletter, one staff member said: "The cheeky so and so's, we have paid these parking charges for the past 8 years and now they are saying we have to meet a criteria - because they have not got it right!

"So we have to suffer?

"Well sorry, but if they can't manage to sort it out with such a huge amount of money already in the pot, then what chance have they doing anything else?

"I really object to having to pay to go to work and more so object to meeting a criteria to do so!"

There is to be strict enforcement of the parking regulations with an escalating scale of fines for staff, patients and visitors - up to £65 a time!

Through what has been described by another Turst employee as "a series of poor decisions, a lack of foresight and planning, and just ignoring the real situation on the various sites", the trust has insufficient spaces for its staff, patients and visitors. The employee added: "This is a half-baked attempt to sort things out, but looks unworkable and will further antagonize staff and patients".

The management are said to have consulted with staff representatives, who refused to agree to the policy, but the management decided to carry on regardless. 

Unison representative Pete Hinchcliffe said: "They say they will consult but not negotiate. We got rid of some of the more crackpot suggestions in the earlier drafts.

"Pennine Acute see their staff as cash cows to be milked.

"It was their refusal to negotiate on parking charges that led directly to the vote of 'no confidence' and the subsequent sending in of Alberti. It seems they don't learn."