Shropshire Star

Parking permits axed for staff living less than a mile from Shropshire hospitals

It has always been a perk of the job – discounted parking for doctors, nurses and other workers at Shropshire's main hospitals.

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But now staff who live less than one mile away from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital or Telford's Princess Royal Hospital will no longer get the staff parking rates.

The new staff parking policy was set to be unveiled by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals (SaTH) NHS Trust at a meeting today.

Bosses say those who live close to their place of work will no longer be automatically entitled to a permit.

They have also introduced a "pay as you park" scheme for staff so they only pay for the days their cars are parked on site, as opposed to the fixed monthly fee currently in operation.

Health chiefs hope it will help encourage people to car share or use more environmentally-friendly forms of transport.

In a paper set to go before the board, Clare Jowett, head of assurance for the trust, says: "The provision and effective management of car parking is an important function if control is to be maintained over car parking spaces at our hospitals.

"The key points of the new policy are the introduction of a 'pay as you park' system, and an exclusion zone where staff living within a one-mile radius of their base hospital site will not automatically qualify for a parking permit.

"The introduction of the exclusion zone is intended to promote active travel, reduce demand on staff car parking space and improve the trust's environmental impact."

She said there would be certain exemptions to the rule where people would still be able to get a permit, including blue badge holders, those whose shifts finish after 7pm or before 7am, and staff who can prove they have a physical or psychological condition where parking on site is essential for them to attend work.

Elvina Ashton-King, branch chair of the union Unison representing SaTH workers, said although the new policy was going to affect "quite a few" members of staff, she was not aware of any complaints about it.

"We have been working very closely with the trust on this policy," she said.

"Although there is an exclusion zone being set up, there are actually quite a number of caveats to it," she said.

Drive-in workers count the cost

Changes in the permit system for staff who live close to Shropshire's two main hospitals could make parking a costly business if they still travel to work by car.

The cost of permits at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust varies depending on the role of the staff member.

The most expensive permit, for medical consultants, costs £300 per year for full-time staff and £150 per annum for those working part-time.

Full time medical registrars, doctors and specialists pay £240 per year, with the figure again halving for part-time staff.

Other full-time medical staff pay anything between £120 and £180 per year, while medical students have to pay £45 every 12 months.

Those figures could get even cheaper still with the trust's introduction of the new "pay as you park" scheme, which will see staff only charged for the days on which they park at staff rates.

But those who do not qualify for a permit under the new scheme will have to fork out the same fees as hospital visitors.

Parking is free at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal for up to 30 minutes to allow for drop-offs and pick-ups without incurring a charge.

It is £2.50 for between 30 minutes and two hours; £3 for between two hours and five hours and £3.50 for anything from five hours to 24 hours.

Since staff on duty for long shifts would almost certainly be paying the £3.50 full rate on a daily basis, they could end up paying up to 20 times the amount they pay at present for living close to the hospital.

The car parks are managed on the trust's behalf by CP Plus.

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