Lack of NHS parking for staff makes medics late for patients

THOUSANDS of doctors, nurses and other health staff cannot park on NHS property – with medics claiming they are often late for appointments as a result.

Figures show more than 2,000 NHS workers are waiting for parking permits allowing them to leave their cars in the grounds of hospitals and health centres.

The Conservatives have now called on the Scottish Government to hold a national review of NHS parking and transport.

They say staff are ‘under enough strain’ without having to worry about where they will park, and if they will make it to appointments on time.

A total of 2,247 staff are waiting for NHS parking permits in just five health board areas.

In NHS Lothian there are 1,236 on a waiting list, while 513 are waiting in NHS Grampian, 363 in Forth Valley and 88 at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

There are 47 waiting in NHS Tayside. This does not include anyone waiting for permits for

‘They’re under enough strain’

the privately owned car park at Ninewells Hospital, in Dundee.

The figures were released to the Scottish Tories under freedom of information laws. The other nine boards either do not have permit schemes or have no staff on their waiting lists.

Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘Increasingly I hear from medical professionals who tell me on too many occasions they are driving around looking for parking spaces when patients are waiting to see them.

‘It’s time for SNP ministers to undertake a national review of NHS parking and transport.’

The SNP announced parking charges at publicly owned hospitals would be scrapped in 2008 but said it would is too expensive to do the same at privately owned and managed sites.

A government spokesman said: ‘The Scottish Government abolished car park fees at a number of hospitals in December 2008, a move which has saved patients, visitors and staff around £32million, and has raised concerns where contracts that predate this government mean charges are still in place.’