If you have cancer public transport is a terrible option
IT’S the supposedly little things about day-to-day life that are so often the most annoying – and the most unjust. Supposedly little things because while bureaucrats and politicians may not think they matter, to the rest of us they are anything but little.
Bin men who only come fortnightly; potholes getting worse; and hospitals which fleece visitors. I’m referring of course to hospital car park charges, which remain a running sore in the NHS.
But it’s not just visitors who have to shell out substantial sums when they want to park at a hospital. Figures released this week show that doctors and nurses must hand over up to £80 a week to park – that’s £4,000 a year for some.
For nurses who already work incredibly hard for little reward that’s a huge sum to have to deduct from their pay simply to be able to do their job.
For many hospital staff, working hours mean that public transport isn’t available. Yet instead of helping them the NHS punishes them.
The daughter-in-law of a friend is a junior doctor, who tells me of the parking madness in her own hospital. Every month she has money taken from her salary for a parking permit. But that’s useless if you can’t find anywhere to park.
ONE day she had a shift in A&E which began at 5pm. There had been a series of muggings of staff at night in the car park so for her own safety she needed to be able to park close by because she would finish work after midnight.
When she arrived at the hospital there were – unsurprisingly, given the rush hour time – no spaces left. She drove around and around until she had no choice but to park on some grass. Even though her parking permit was displayed she got a ticket.
From then on, for three years afterwards – three years! – she was harassed with letters and phone calls from private debt collection companies. The calls and letters only stopped when she moved. And all because she wanted to do her job and not get mugged afterwards.
Ironically, to cope with the winter demand, the same hospital has recently set up an overspill ward in a portable cabin in the car park – further CRUSADE