Fair hospital parking for all

Hospital parking is a topical debate in the parking industry and beyond. It can often be judged by motorists as being an unscrupulous way to make money and an additional burden for visitors and patients, but this need not be the case. All decisions regarding parking enforcement and management at hospitals are the responsibility of hospital Trusts, who manage their own parking facilities. The British Parking Association (BPA) wishes to work closely with them, to ensure they pick the right solution for their facility.

Due to the high profile debate on this subject there are misconceptions amongst the general public that parking enforcement at hospitals is operated solely to create revenue at the expense of those using the facility, and is often carried out by rogue operators – this need not be the case.

PARKING ENFORCEMENT
Parking enforcement is, in fact, a positive step for the healthcare sector. Without the correct management and maintenance, hospital car parks can easily become unregulated park and rides, inconveniencing both staff and hospital patients. Hospitals and Trusts need to strike a balance between ensuring spaces are available for the people that need them without inconveniencing people who use them. Above all, enforcement revenue in hospital parking facilities is not particularly profitable when administrative costs are considered.

Regulated parking can allow each facility to provide an adequate balance. All charges can be set by the hospital or Trust themselves – not by the procurators, therefore allowing the complete control and use of local knowledge to deliver a fair system, making enforcement is a positive step for every user.

The majority of parking tariffs are subject to local pricing, availability and demand, along with additional facility overheads. The majority of healthcare facilities should be solidly supported by their parking operators, who provide concessionary tariffs for long-term visitors and also subsidise staff charges by using revenue from visitors parking at the facility.

There are many things to consider when developing appropriate parking enforcement for hospitals across the UK and we will provide the necessary help and guidance for them.

CHARTER FOR HOSPITAL PARKING
To strike the right balance between being fair to patients during often difficult times and others including staff, while ensuring that facilities are managed effectively for the good of all, The BPA has published a hospital parking charter aimed at both NHS Trusts and car park operators.

The BPA believes in raising standards in the parking sector and delivering a more professional service to the public.  Providing, managing and paying for hospital car parking needs to be seen in the context of delivering a better and fairer service to users. Both NHS Trusts and car park operators recognise the importance of car parking policy in terms of the wider transport strategy and the need to manage traffic and parking in accordance with demand and environmental needs. They also recognise the importance of professionalism in carrying out their services and the delivery of customer care. In particular, the delivery of safe car parking for hospital users is paramount.  

We encourage all operators regulate pay for maintenance and management services and to and by preventing maintenance and management becoming a drain on healthcare budgets of hospital car parks to sign up to the charter and to abide by its letter and spirit.

A number of Trusts and car park operators have already signed the Charter and these will be published shortly on the BPA website (see below for details). The nine points of the Charter are outlined below.

HOSPITAL PARKING CHARTER
• NHS Hospitals and Trusts and their car parking contractors will strive to provide a high standard of management and customer service in their car parks.
• We aim to provide good lighting, high standards of maintenance for structures and surfaces, simple to use and understand payment systems and equipment, clear and easy to understand signage and clearly marked parking bays. Operators should strive to ensure that car parks offer a safe environment for all users and aspire to the ParkMark® standard
• Tariffs and tariff structures will be reasonable and will reflect supply and demand and the cost of maintaining the facility and providing the service. Tariff structures should be set to reflect local conditions, local tariffs and needs of all hospital users and should take account of the hospital’s environmental policy. Additionally, systems need to be in place to protect the legitimate use of hospital car parks. They should also take into account the impact on local residents should tariffs displace parking into local streets.
• Consideration should be given to best practice advice available from organisations such as the BPA, Parking Forum, NHS Confederation and the Department for Health. In particular, costs and any income associated with running car parks should be transparent and published.
• Patients who are eligible should be made aware of the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme and encouraged to claim back their charges. Concessionary parking should be given to patients with a long term illness or serious condition requiring regular and/or long term treatment (e.g. oncology, dialysis) along with those that need to visit patients regularly (e.g. parents), for whom public transport may be impractical and payment of babies/children held overnight) cumulative parking charges could become a burden. Trusts and operators should work together to ensure maximum publicity is given to such concessions and that they are taken up by eligible patients.
• Consideration should be given to the needs of disabled users for whom alternative means of transport may be impractical, ensuring that adequate provision is made and that if payment is required that payment systems are adapted to ensure ease of use.  
• Methods of car park operations should be designed to recognise the unavoidable, unplanned and unpredictable nature of visits to hospitals. Enforcement action should be designed not to penalise unpredictable contraventions. For example allowing users to pay overstay charges rather than fines. An Appeals procedure should always be in place. Policies should address the needs of patients and visitors separately from those of staff, where different circumstances may apply.
• Any enforcement is to be proportionate with a focus on encouraging compliance. Such enforcement activities should adhere to the Approved Operators Scheme Code of Practice. Operators should be members of the Approved Operators Scheme in order to manage hospital car parks
• This Charter should be read in conjunction with the Approved Operators Scheme Code of Practice, particularly in respect of signage, customer redress and levels of charges.

ABOUT THE BPA
The British Parking Association (BPA), founded in 1968, is the largest independent professional association in Europe, representing around 650 member organisations in the parking and traffic management industry. Members range from technology manufacturers and car park operators to local authorities and NHS Trusts.

The BPA is dedicated to promoting and representing knowledge and standards in every type of parking facility, both on-street and off-street, and to bringing together the interests of users, government, local authorities and commercial organisations, providing a forum for the exchange of information and ideas concerning parking.

One of the BPA’s primary aims is to encourage its members to raise standards so that they provide a better, fairer service to their clients and to all car park users.

Our members recognise the value of maintaining high standards and membership of the BPA enables them to achieve this.

Many of our members operate car parks accredited with the Safer Parking Scheme award – a Park Mark® – or are a member of our Approved Operator Scheme, having signed up to our Code of Practice.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
To request a copy of the Charter in full and for further information on how to add your name to the list of signatories, please contact Dave Smith, communications & events coordinator.
Tel: 01444 447316
E-mail: dave.s@britishparking.co.uk
To see a list of those who have signed up visit our website www.britishparking.co.uk