Car park at busy hospital on Essex border set to close for three weeks

A car park at a busy hospital on the Essex border is set to close for three weeks so urgent work can be carried out. Health and safety inspectors raised concerns about the condition of the multi-storey car park at Queen's Hospital in Romford.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust said they had been advised the lighting was not good enough, pedestrian safety was at risk due to the layout and doors were too heavy to open. The tarmac on the roof had also suffered significant sun damage.

Inspectors advised there was a need to carry out the work urgently or risk having to close the car park permanently. The temporary closure, lasting for three weeks from July 20, will see more than 1,100 spaces made unavailable.

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The work needs to be completed by early next year to avoid the risk of closure. The vital work will include resurfacing, the addition of pedestrian walkways, new doors and improved lighting that will enhance the CCTV. The stairwells will also be refurbished with anti-slip coating added to the steps.

Motorists will be allowed to return to using the car park over a gradual period of time. Based on usage last summer, the Trust says the first three weeks will be the only time when they won’t have enough spaces to meet demand.

Patients are strongly advised to use public transport to get to Queen’s. Residents with blue badges, cancer patients, dialysis patients and those entitled to concessionary parking will be unaffected. There will be emergency parking available for women who are about to give birth.

Patients who are seriously unwell and who are brought in by ambulance will not be affected. Drop-off points will be available outside A&E, maternity and near to the main entrance. If you are dropping off a patient and then wish to join them for their treatment, you will need to park elsewhere.

Matthew Trainer, Chief Executive of the Trust, said: "It's not a question of whether they do they work it's a question of when. We had a look at last year's car park activity and we have picked the quietest time of the year. But for those three weeks from July 20, if you need to come to Queen's and can get here by any other means possible then you should do."

They added: "We will have staff at the front so that anyone who turns up and genuinely needs care in an emergency will be supported. Ambulances will be coming in as usual but for everyone else you need to find other ways to get to Queen's.

"At the end of it we will have a good-as-new car park with brand new surfaces, better lighting, CCTV etc. So do bear with us whilst we get this very important work done."