Shropshire hospitals car park charge rise ‘to hit poor and sick'
The former head of Telford’s hospital has criticised the decision to raise car park charges.
David Sandbach, the former chief executive of the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, said he believes people will be “adversely affected” by the price rise.
He has now written a letter to Peter Latchford, chairman of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) board, to voice his concerns.
Mr Sandbach said: “I am not prepared to stand by and watch in silence while a state monopoly like SaTH relieves the poor, the weak, the sick and the lame of funds which are needed for their daily bread at times of crisis and anxiety in their life.
“I truly believe many in the community, who are not as fortunate as me and members of the SaTH board will be adversely affected by this price hike and that is not fair.”
Bosses are introducing an hourly tariff, which they say will encourage “better flow and increased availability” for visitors.
Currently, visitors pay £2.50 for up to two hours, £3 for two to five hours and £3.50 for five to 24 hours.
The changes will see visitors charged £3 for up to two hours, £4 for up to three hours, £5 for up to four hours, £6 for up to five hours, and £8 for 24 hours.
The free 30-minute parking period for patients and visitors will also be reduced to 20 minutes. The new charges will come into effect next month.
In his letter, Mr Sandbach claims that the decision should have been made by the trust board, and not SaTH’s executive management team.
He adds: “This is the second time SaTH has engaged in a massive price hike.”
Julia Clarke, director of corporate governance at SaTH, has said this is the first change to car parking charges at the hospital in four years and still puts it among the lowest in the country. The Trust has also reiterated that the money collected from parking fees goes back into patient care.
Mr Sandbach is the latest to come out against the rise, which has also been described by Telford & Wrekin Council as a “tax on visiting the sick”.
Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard, in whose constituency the Princess Royal Hospital lies, has also called it an “insult”.
Telford MP Lucy Allan has also written to Ms Clarke over the decision, and has called for a rethink of the plans.
