Region's hospitals fine drivers ?27,000

[super jumbe]

Patients and visitors were fined ?27,615 for poor parking at hospitals in the region in just 12 months.

Drivers faced a penalities lottery depending on which site they were visiting. A total of 3,084 motorists were slapped with tickets in the space of a year but the fines ranged from ?15 in Dudley up to ?30 in Walsall. Stafford Hospital did not issue a single fine for bad parking.

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust emerged as the most zealous of the NHS trusts for ticketing ? issuing 1,260 ?30 fines in the financial year to April. Only 533 of those were actually paid.

Robert Wilson, facilities manager at the trust, said: ?Car parking fines are only issued on our hospital site when absolutely necessary.?

Fines at Sandwell, Rowley Regis and City Hospitals are ?25, which double if not paid inside a fortnight. The trust issued 429 tickets in the year to April, making a combined ?8,575. Wolverhampton?s New Cross Hospital made ?3,050 from 727 fines.

Brian Childs, of cancer support group Upper GI Blues, said patients may be unfortunate to be fined as it was often an emergency.

Meanwhile, Birmingham?s Heart of England Trust was today named the country?s biggest earner from hospital parking charges, raking in more than ?3 million in 2011/12.




NSH suppose to be free for all, because we pay (NI) I wonder were they spend ?3 million????????

[GastonJ]

NSH suppose to be free for all, because we pay (NI) I wonder were they spend ?3 million????????

Certainly won't be on their carparks. Most likely on directors cars and expenses.