A & E Pay and Display Car Park

[markpa12003]

I would like to congratulate the moron that thought it would be a good idea to make the A&E car park a pay and display. Ridiculous. Thanks to that moron patients / visitors now visiting the A&E department in an emergency must now ensure that they have sufficient change to pay the meter before they enter the department. Plus they must keep topping up the meter during their stay / treatment.

Nobody knows when they walk into the A&E department how long they may have to wait to be seen or what the diagnosis might be; go home or be admitted. However, as a result of the moron patients / visitors now need to second guess what might happen to them and how long it might take for them to seen at a time when their mind / concern is rightly elsewhere! Well done.

If the moron is so keen to raise revenue why did they not employ the same parking system as used for the rest of the hospital. Surely that would be more sensible. Also it would have been useful if the payment machines allowed payment by mobile or debit or credit card rather than solely relying on loose change.

Oh, there is a £40 fine if you don't have a valid ticket. Fantastic. That's exactly what a patient / visitor needs when they are ill or accompanying a loved one. Fantastic moron!

 

[Ecker]

I would like to congratulate the moron that thought it would be a good idea to make the A&E car park a pay and display. Ridiculous. Thanks to that moron patients / visitors now visiting the A&E department in an emergency must now ensure that they have sufficient change to pay the meter before they enter the department. Plus they must keep topping up the meter during their stay / treatment.

Nobody knows when they walk into the A&E department how long they may have to wait to be seen or what the diagnosis might be; go home or be admitted. However, as a result of the moron patients / visitors now need to second guess what might happen to them and how long it might take for them to seen at a time when their mind / concern is rightly elsewhere! Well done.

If the moron is so keen to raise revenue why did they not employ the same parking system as used for the rest of the hospital. Surely that would be more sensible. Also it would have been useful if the payment machines allowed payment by mobile or debit or credit card rather than solely relying on loose change.

Oh, there is a £40 fine if you don't have a valid ticket. Fantastic. That's exactly what a patient / visitor needs when they are ill or accompanying a loved one. Fantastic moron!

Cure The NHS Car Parks??

 

[arthur]

I was recently in North Staffs A and E and my son came up in his car after the ambulance I was rushed into A and received excellent care from the stroke team and the neurological team and the nursing staff. When my son said he had to go and put some more money in for the car park - the nurse said i'll sort that out for you - he took my sons registration number, telephoned through to the car park dept and told us there was no need to go and put some more money on it it was sorted.
I have had many experiences of being rushed into hospital - Stafford - Wolverhampton and North Staffs - North Staffs definitely the best but it does rather depend on who you get on the day - there's good and bad consultants and good and bad hospital car parking all over the country.

But at least this experience with the car parking was helpful

 

[cometcycle]

Of course with more people from Stafford having to go to UHNS in the future you'll be lucky to get parked at all.

As for Stafford I agree it should be the same as the rest of the Hospital. I wouldn't be surprised if its part of yet another move my North Staffs Trust to speed the closure of services in Stafford without proper risk assessment / public consultation. I suspect its only a matter of time until no A & E remains in Stafford and we only have a Minor Injuries Unit. Time will tell.

 

[markpa12003]

Arthur, I'm glad things worked out for you. Unfortunately, things are a little different at Stafford Hospital. We arrived at Hospital at approximately 8pm and were not discharged from the A&E department until approximately 1.30am this morning. As you may be aware the A&E department closes at 10pm and after midnight there are no staff within the reception area.

As a result of the moronic decision to charge for parking at A&E I had to keep leaving my distressed wife to top up the meter until I ran out of money. Because there was no reception staff and I was not able to speak to anyone about not having enough money to pay for my last 1.30 hr parking. As such, I am hoping that I do not get a £40 parking fine.

Given the severity of my wife's condition I was 'expecting' that we would be seen quicker than we were. However, we waited in the waiting area for 3 1/2 hours. I did question why we had to wait so long when it was clearly obvious that minor ailments were being seen first. I was informed by the receptionist that this was because Stafford Hospital operates two queuing systems; a minor injury queue and a major injury queue. These queues are operated by two different medical teams. We were in the major injury queue with the emergency ambulances. As a result of this system, as we found out last night, those with more serious injuries can wait longer than those with minor injuries which seems completely wrong to me. I would have thought it would be more sensible to have one medical team and all patients triaged and treated in order of priority.

I have been big supporter of Stafford Hospital, however last night has left be hugely disappointed.

Please note I am not criticising any of the medical staff that treated my wife last night and this morning. They were all superb. I am criticising the morons in charge.

 

[cometcycle]

Hope your Wife is ok MarkPa.

Is there anyone you could speak to in the Car Parking office to lodge an official complaint with on the Parking side of things?

 

[markpa12003]

Hope your Wife is ok MarkPa.

Is there anyone you could speak to in the Car Parking office to lodge an official complaint with on the Parking side of things?

Thanks Comet. My wife is now at home resting and we received confirmation today, as an outpatient, that our unborn child is still alive.

I'm sure the car parking office would be sympathetic to the issues that I experienced last night, however I am not sure what they can do because it is the parking system that has been adopted which is the problem. Unless that changes nothing will change.

 

[cometcycle]

Thanks Comet. My wife is now at home resting and we received confirmation today, as an outpatient, that our unborn child is still alive.

That's good news. Best wishes for the rest of the Pregnancy and that next time you'll be telling us all about a new forumite.

 

[PPPPPP]

Arthur, I'm glad things worked out for you. Unfortunately, things are a little different at Stafford Hospital. We arrived at Hospital at approximately 8pm and were not discharged from the A&E department until approximately 1.30am this morning. As you may be aware the A&E department closes at 10pm and after midnight there are no staff within the reception area.

As a result of the moronic decision to charge for parking at A&E I had to keep leaving my distressed wife to top up the meter until I ran out of money. Because there was no reception staff and I was not able to speak to anyone about not having enough money to pay for my last 1.30 hr parking. As such, I am hoping that I do not get a £40 parking fine.

Given the severity of my wife's condition I was 'expecting' that we would be seen quicker than we were. However, we waited in the waiting area for 3 1/2 hours. I did question why we had to wait so long when it was clearly obvious that minor ailments were being seen first. I was informed by the receptionist that this was because Stafford Hospital operates two queuing systems; a minor injury queue and a major injury queue. These queues are operated by two different medical teams. We were in the major injury queue with the emergency ambulances. As a result of this system, as we found out last night, those with more serious injuries can wait longer than those with minor injuries which seems completely wrong to me. I would have thought it would be more sensible to have one medical team and all patients triaged and treated in order of priority.

I have been big supporter of Stafford Hospital, however last night has left be hugely disappointed.

Please note I am not criticising any of the medical staff that treated my wife last night and this morning. They were all superb. I am criticising the morons in charge.

If they try to fine you, don't pay it and explain why.

 

[Gramaisc]

An old codger I know was recovering his wife from the A&E one frosty night a couple of years ago ( when he was 91 ) at about two in the morning and struggling with one of those rear-wheel-steering wheelchairs. He had got the car as close as possible by going the wrong way into the car park. He was confronted by a jobsworth who told him "This hospital operates a one-way system!" to which he countered, "That's not much of an advert!", and continued to lift his 89 year-old wife into his car in the deserted car park, with no assistance from the important official.

 

[Gareth]

It does depend on who you see and approach on the day, I have had my ticket sorted at stafford and unhs everytime I ask. Paying for parking at hospitals is now the normal.

Oddly parking at unhs is amongst the worst in the country and cannot stay out if local press with legal action being sort against them. Even led to a piece that nurses at unhs were looking for spaces 2 & 3 hours before their shift as the car park is full and others do not want to pay, some now park in Hanley and bus in. The stories and complaints on this are easy to find in their hoards at the sentinal.

paid parking and it's issues is not new at hospitals, shouldn't be allowed bloody anywhere.

 

[Gareth]

Do you not pay on the way out at stafford? Used to be. Glad to hear all is well

 

[markpa12003]

Do you not pay on the way out at stafford? Used to be.

Gareth, the out patients car parks are pay on exit. The A&E car park is pay and display.

 

[captainpish]

As I was paying for a book of parking tickets for the contractors parking spaces up at SDGH there was a nurse after a parking permit and she was told she could have one and the cost was in relation to pay. I.e the more you earn the more you pay and also if she cant find a space its hard luck. She obviously declinded. The parking is a joke for everybody. There are very few contractors spaces and more often than not theres a doctor or some other big wig parked in them despite the clear signage they are only to be used by contractors. The parking attendant would come round and just walk past the cars and check the contractors vehicles. Ive even had them park across two contractors vehicles and block them in. You go to the reception and describe the car and more often tham not its doctor somebody who will eventually turn up with a look on his face like youve shit in his cereal and then just stick it in the space you vacate! One rule for you, one rule for them.

 

[Gramaisc]

As I was paying for a book of parking tickets for the contractors parking spaces up at SDGH there was a nurse after a parking permit and she was told she could have one and the cost was in relation to pay. I.e the more you earn the more you pay and also if she cant find a space its hard luck. She obviously declinded. The parking is a joke for everybody. There are very few contractors spaces and more often than not theres a doctor or some other big wig parked in them despite the clear signage they are only to be used by contractors. The parking attendant would come round and just walk past the cars and check the contractors vehicles. Ive even had them park across two contractors vehicles and block them in. You go to the reception and describe the car and more often tham not its doctor somebody who will eventually turn up with a look on his face like youve shit in his cereal and then just stick it in the space you vacate! One rule for you, one rule for them.

Know your place......

I know somebody who was fairly high up there in the early '90s - when given the chance of early retirement, she jumped at it. She gave me the following reason -"I just got fed up of the staff being more important than the patients."

 

[John Marwood]

I photographed the emblem on the side of a fire engine with a friends big camera, printed it off, glued to to some cardboard and now throw it on the panel in the windscreen.

Never been touched

I am waiting to borrow said again for counties NWSE

I realise this could be regarded as passing off, however, I have also glued other emblems to cardboard as a get my out, along with three copies of how to build a galleon in monthly instalments

 

[arthur]

Good to hear the lady expecting the baby is ok. I have experienced the major- minor system in Stafford. I can understand why someone came up with the idea but if a trails shows that its not working then it should be back to the planning stage. But of course the answer to the wait time in any hospital is they need more staff on duty.

The wait time in the small A and E bays in Stafford hospital is the worst hospital experience I have ever had. Apart from Wolverhampton saying I had to go for an urgent MRI scan then didn’t order the scan. I keep asking but they didn't know what was going on. I discharged myself and wrote a letter of complaint - very nice letter back apologising - not good enough.


It’s very therapeutic talking about hospital experiences although it’s a hospital car parking thread we could include the hospital experience and I have LOTS
One time a stupid nurse in Wolverhampton told me son i had migraine when it was actually a stroke
One doctor at north staffs told me my head was wired all wrong and it couldn't be mended.
One doctor in Stafford told me i was constipated when i had had a TIA. I could go on and on and on. What are other people experiences of being in Hospital.

 

[proactive]

One doctor at north staffs told me my head was wired all wrong and it couldn't be mended.

That seems a bit rich coming from someone from Stoke.

 

[ben0239]

Forgive my ignorance on this matter, but why is there a Major and Minor stream at Stafford A & E. Surely if the patients condition is deemed to be only minor they should be either reffered to either the minor injuries unit in Cannock IF they can get there or the Out of hourse service (which is excellent) located next door to the A & E.

I was under the impression that A & E departments were there to deal with accidents and emergencies only therefore why are staff being diverted to deal with minor conditions. I appreciate that there probably is staffing shortages within Stafford A & E, which is an issue across the majority of NHS trusts in the UK. Therefore the finite resources need to be allocated appropiately. For me the best way to do this is to TRIAGE all patients and then allocate them to the most suitable place to treat them and those that are left are TRIAGED based on severity of their accident or emergency.

 

[John Marwood]

Forgive my ignorance on this matter, but why is there a Major and Minor stream at Stafford A & E. Surely if the patients condition is deemed to be only minor they should be either reffered to either the minor injuries unit in Cannock IF they can get there or the Out of hourse service (which is excellent) located next door to the A & E.

I was under the impression that A & E departments were there to deal with accidents and emergencies only therefore why are staff being diverted to deal with minor conditions. I appreciate that there probably is staffing shortages within Stafford A & E, which is an issue across the majority of NHS trusts in the UK. Therefore the finite resources need to be allocated appropiately. For me the best way to do this is to TRIAGE all patients and then allocate them to the most suitable place to treat them and those that are left are TRIAGED based on severity of their accident or emergency.

Don't get injured much do you