Parking fees fear stops hospital visit
Confusion over the new parking regime at one of Shropshire's main hospitals forced a daughter to abandon plans to visit her sick father, she claimed today.
Clare Kendrick said she feared she would be fined when parking machines at the Princess Royal in Telford failed to work properly.
She therefore only dropped off her mother and did not manage to see her father, Peter, at evening visiting.
Parking charges at both the PRH and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital went up on Monday from a £2 daily flat rate to prices ranging from £2.50 to £3.50 depending on length of stay. The new rates offer 30 minutes free.
Miss Kendrick, of Roslyn Road, Wellington, said: "There are no signs up about the free half hour parking and seems to be no way of getting a free ticket to prove what time you arrived.
"I put £2.50 in the machine after following instructions, but the machine did not produce a ticket. There was nobody there from the company which runs the car park and I was so worried about being fined or wheel clamped that I left my mum to visit and had to go home and then drive back to pick her up at the end of visiting.
"I lost £2.50 but more importantly I lost the opportunity to see my dad, who has been very ill."
Andy Rogers, spokesman for the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: "We would encourage anyone who has a problem with one of the car parking ticket machines to contact us directly so that we can quickly rectify the problem. We will be contacting Miss Kendrick to discuss her concerns.
"During this phase of introducing the new system we are grateful for the feedback we receive."
The rise is parking charges prompted more angry responses from readers on the Shropshire Star website.
One said: "OK, 30 minutes free, but if you want to see a relative you better be blooming quick. Of that 30 minutes 10 will be spent with the relative."
Another said: "Car parking charges are obviously a tax on the sick patients and should be resisted vigorously – people power can achieve a lot."
