Traffic wardens could patrol hospital car parks and fine motorists under a planned shake-up at the biggest hospital trust in Greater Manchester.
Bosses at Pennine Acute Trust, which runs Royal Oldham, Fairfield General in Bury, Rochdale Infirmary and North Manchester General, want to bring in a private management company to run its car parks.
The firm would hand out penalty notices to people who park illegally or do not use a pay-and-display ticket.
We understand the fines would be in the region of £60, reduced to £20 if paid within 20 days.
It is thought that the revenue from the ticket machines would go back to the trust to pay for the cost of security and money from the parking fines would go to the management company.
Chiefs at Pennine also want to split parking at the hospitals into four zones – allowing designated parking for patients and visitors, staff, drop-off and pick-up and parking for contractors and trust vehicles. And they plan to allow staff, patients and visitors to pay for parking over text or a telephone call for the first time.
A trust spokesman said parking charges would not increase and regular patients and staff could benefit from vouchers, entitling them to a reduction.
He revealed the changes were being brought in following an increasing number of motorists parking their cars dangerously and inconsiderately, blocking ambulances.
A consultation will now take place until January 20, asking staff, patients and visitors for their views on the changes. Currently, people parking illegally at the hospitals can be fined up to £10. To take part in the consultation visit surveymonkey.com/s/ patpq
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Can they be called 'fines'?
How many things are wrong with this article?!
They are not 'fines' - neither the hospital, nor a 'private parking company' have such powers. They are merely talking about getting a bloke in a high vis jacket to hand out speculative invoices which will clearly amount to unenforceable contractual penalties, unrelated to any loss incurred through any alleged breach of contract. 'Illegality' has nothing to do with any of it - it's purely contractual.
finally these hospitals have shown their true colours, to use the parking as a money making venture at the expense of patients and their relatives.
As for the legality of the entire operation. follow this link to MEN http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1458879_motorist-wins-18-month-ticket-battle-after-judge-agrees-stockport-parking-signs-were-too-small
I'm off to Tameside, at least you can die for free there !
Isn't it true these charges are not legally enforceable, and are in fact invoices ?
Bring it into force especially NMGH!!! Lets get the A&E staff some parking fines haha!!
The last time I used the infirmary, the ticket machine didn't give a ticket after I had paid my money. So presumably before they implement this scheme they will be replacing the machines with ones that actually work!
at North Manchester General, people already park in surrounding streets to avoid parking charges meaning residents can't even park outside their own front doors a lot of the time. A Friend who lives next door to my late aunt told me once that somebody knocked on his door and asked him to move his car so they could park. His reply was not something you could print in a family newspaper. But Manchester council are reluctant to take a leaf out of Blackpools books and make streets in certain areas residents only parking by displayable permit.
BTW If you park on a residential street and block somebodys driveway, a law change a few years ago means your car can now be towed.
Keep paying your taxes and fines and keep working hard. Were the buffer for all the crooks and spongers in this country.Bus fares up train fares up both very poor services it won't be worth going to work soon !!
"He revealed the changes were being brought in following an increasing number of motorists parking their cars dangerously and inconsiderately, blocking ambulances"
In which case a tow truck would seem of more use than a management company attempting to collect after the event fees.
Parking fees at hospitals make my blood boil. It cost me £4.50 in parking fees for an appointment a couple of weeks ago. It's disgusting.
wonder what you would be saying if you were in an ambulance that was blocked in.all you seem to be worried about is paying your way.it is the nhs not a car park company.
This move shows where the Trust's priorities lie.........
Car parking is totally inadequate at certain hospitals now (ie Royal Oldham) because they now force all A&E/Maternity/and every other patient to go there. It's the best money making scheme ever. Provide facilities that cannot hope to meet demand and then penalise people for flouting the rules. My wife was taken to A&E the other week and it took me 45 mins to find a space to park the car that was within walking distance, let alone near the car park. (yes eventually i parked in front of somebodys house about 10 mins walk away) All the time shes scared witless on her own. If i'm are ever unfortunate enough to go again i'll simply throw it in the ambulance bay and pay the invoice.
About time they did at Fairfield, trying to drive a 40 foot bus round the hospital grounds is a nightmare. Worst culprits for parking anywhere are STAFF!
Why should a 'company' benefit from others misfortunes ? Finding a spot to park can be a nightmare, with North Manchester being diabolical.
Of course, by closing hospitals down like in Rochdale, this only makes congestion worse at these other car parks.
Cynics might say that profit making on car parks was their original plan.
Employees often have no where to park on a daily basis and pay for the pleasure!
Build more car parks, invest the money already made into improving parking rather than purchasing yet another big stick to beat people with.
Utterly offensive but typical behaviour from the Trust, who, yet again are showing where their true priorities lie..
Never mind hospital cleanliness, never mind patient care. Let's try and screw the last halfpenny from the families of patients who come to visit the sick, or financially penalise those who have medical problems and need to visit hospital for appointments.
My wife was recently taken to hospital by ambulance, with a suspected fractured hip. She was dumped in an 'assessment room' which had a bloodstained floor, she was given morphine which made her vomit. The first FIVE sick bowls I managed to locate had already been used by previous patients. Who knows how long they had been there? It was more like a hospital in Ethiopia rather than England.
No matter - let the patients fester, whilst we shamefully bleed them dry. Disgraceful.
Hospital parking is free in Scotland and Wales - now this in England - I thought we were the UNITED Kingdom?
Little Hitlers
What a silly idea!
What is needed is those ignorant drivers who ignore the laws and directions, claiming . they can' read or speak English when challenged.
More opportunities for jumped-up little jobsworths to act out their police officer fantasies and bully hospital patients and visitors into paying excessive charges. Unfortunately, it's the way Britain is going. Shame on Pennine Acute Trust, even though it is doing this as a result of financial contraints.
What a waste of tax payers money,there's nothing Hardly left at the Infirmary it's all going over to other hospitals,Rochdale's loosing out again.
Only in the U.K You have to pay to park up at your workplace!!!!!
This is an outrage. Patients and sometimes visitors have more to worry about when attending the hospital than this kind of rubbish. Surely this level of bureaucracy is something the Government is totally against.
If the Trust is becoming so business minded and punishing people by introducing these parking wardens then perhaps if patients develop pressure sores, secondary infections, and deteriorate due to lack of nutrition they should seek recompense in the courts. They would be better served by employing more professionals.