Parking Eye is profiting from patients’ families

READING Matt Discombe’s report on private firm Parking Eye, which runs parking at Cardiff hospitals, was a horrible reminder for me of that company’s hostility to patients’ families.

My grandad was sectioned in the dementia mental health ward at Llandough Hospital and I was twice fined £70 for overstaying the permitted 20-minute stay in the parking bay outside the senile dementia ward, within a two-week period, for reasons which were beyond my control.

On the first occasion the hospital had summoned family members to a meeting to discuss my grandfather’s future. I circled the car park twice looking for a free spot, to no avail, so parked outside his ward. I was 10 minutes over the time limit when I returned to my car, as I was talking to a member of the React team after the meeting regarding my grandfather’s follow-ups.

On the second occasion we arrived at the ward to take my grandfather out for a couple of hours. He wet himself before we could leave the hospital and with cleaning and changing clothes, we were 40 minutes inside, 20 minutes over the time limit.

I paid the fines and I appealed on the first occasion, which was rejected. To me, no-one should make money from families visiting sick relatives. The profit motive also means Parking Eye will be less interested in listening to the human story, showing flexibility and waiving fines.