A message from the Chief Executive, Samantha Jones
9 June 2010
You might be aware that the Trust has appeared in a number of TV, radio and newspaper stories today (9 June 2010) in relation to car parking at our hospitals, in particular the use of clamps on cars which are parked where they should not be.
I would like to use this message to address the points raised in the media, but also to ask our patients and local people to engage in a review of how car parking will be managed at our hospitals in the future.
As a large Trust that treats approximately 700,000 patients per year, it is vital that our car parks are managed well and efficiently.
We need to ensure that emergency vehicles can access areas that they need to, when they need to, and that the patients and visitors coming to our hospitals can park conveniently in a safe and well-maintained area. We also have to make sure that staff and volunteers can park easily.
With almost 2,000 car parking spaces open for 365 days a year, approximately 1,000,000 staff, visitors and patients park on our hospital sites each year. As such, the reality is that only a very small percentage of cars are clamped.
The majority of cars which are clamped belong to staff. However, we welcome appeals against the decision to clamp, and of the 1,671 cars which were clamped last year, nearly three quarters (1,219) had their fee waived. The income for clamping for the year was just over £13,500.
Last year, the income from our car parks was just over £1.8 million, which, in the main, is made up of the fees charged to staff, patients and visitors. Importantly, the majority of the income generated by the car parks goes back into parking management, helping to pay for CCTV, the security guards who patrol the area, road maintenance and lighting.
In addition, income is ring fenced to support environmentally friendly travel plans, including our staff shuttle bus that runs between our hospital sites (saving people from having to drive) and schemes to promote cycling.
Any extra money is spent within our hospitals, helping to provide our patients with the very best of care.
Recognising the sensitivities around this issue, I have launched a review of our car parking today 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 will be called 'The Big Conversation', will ask ten key questions about our car parking facilities:
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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' will involve staff, volunteers, patients and local people. We will also be working with representatives from the Trust's unions, as well as members of our Local Involvement Networks (LINks).
More information about ‘The Big Conversation’ will be available shortly and I encourage as many local people and patients as possible to get involved.
With kind regards,
Samantha Jones
Chief Executive
