As a Trust that treats around 700,000 patients a year, it is vital that our car parks are managed well and efficiently.
We have almost 2,000 car parking spaces across three hospitals open for 365 days a year. Approximately a million staff, visitors and patients park on our hospital sites each year.
The Trust launched a review of our car parking to ensure we are doing all we can to strike the balance between having well run car parks, whilst making sure we do not make it difficult for our staff to do their jobs, damage patients' access to services or stop friends and relatives visiting.
The review, which was called 'The Big Conversation', asked several key questions about our car parking facilities, including:
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Are our charges and associated penalties fair?
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Are there are enough spaces for patients, visitors and staff?
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Do we offer regular visitors concessions?
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Could we allow patients visiting Sutton Hospital to pay on departure (as we do at Epsom and St Helier hospitals)?
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Could we allow patients to pay by card (and cash)?
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Do we provide priority parking for all of those who need it?
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How clear is the information we provide on concessions?
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Do we do enough to reimburse patients for additional parking fees when appointments are delayed?
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Should we stop clamping and, if so, what should replace it (if anything)?
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Could we improve on the level of 'customer care' the people using our car parks receive?
'The Big Conversation' involved staff, volunteers, patients and local people. We also worked with representatives from the Trust's unions, as well as members of our Local Involvement Networks (LINks).
The consultation closed in September 2010. Read more about the outcome below.
