Changes to car parking charges for patients, visitors and Blue Badge holders | Latest news

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust will be changing patient and visitor car parking charges from 5 November 2018 and introducing car parking charges for blue badge holders from 7 January 2019. The Trust will also be extending the free parking period in direct response to feedback from patients.

The new tariffs for patients/visitors will be as follows:

Parking time	Old charge	New charge
Up to 30 mins	FREE (previously up to 15 mins only)	FREE
Up to 1 hour	£2	£2
Up to 2 hours	£4	£4
Up to 4 hours	£5	£5.50
Up to 8 hours	£6	£6.50
Up to 24 hours	£6	£8
Weekly	£15	£20
Monthly	£25	£30

The revised parking charges, which come into place on 5 November 2018, remain lower than many other hospitals and cheaper than most other city centre car parks in Nottingham.

Director of Estates and Facilities, Andrew Chatten, said: “In response to patient feedback, the Trust has extended the free car parking period from 15 to 30 minutes, and introduced new time periods for visiting and stays.

“Running and maintaining our car parks is expensive and these costs are rising year-on-year. All of the money we make from parking charges goes back into funding maintenance, upkeep, security, improvements to our roads and car parks and supporting provision of the popular Medilink bus service, which connects the park and ride facilities with our two hospitals. In 17/18, the money we spent on car parking exceeded the money we earned.”

“In response to feedback from patients, visitors and staff, we invested £0.5million improving our car parks and roads over the last year. Improvements have included pot hole and road surface repairs and the creation of 130 additional car parking spaces at QMC and City Hospital.”

From 7 January 2019, blue badge holders will be required to pay the same charges as other patients and visitors, which is in line with changes introduced in a number of other Trusts around the country.

Andrew added: “We have engaged with our patient groups to hear their views on these changes and patients are members of our car parking group. We will be installing additional pay and display machines at relevant heights for blue badge holders.

 “We continue to work with our partners to maximise the alternative transport options for patients, visitors and staff, including as tram, bus and cycle links, to reduce the traffic and congestion at our hospitals.”

Trish Cargill, Chair of the Trust’s Patient Partnership Group, said: “I am so pleased that patients have been involved and listened to and that in response free car parking has been extended to 30 minutes, giving patients more time to be dropped off and collected from our hospitals.”