Yahoo News Parking charges to return for NHS workers at Broomfield, Basildon and Southend Hospitals says trust chief
The NHS trust that runs three of Essex's biggest hospitals have told workers they will have to start paying to park again. The Mid and South Essex Hospitals Trust will be bringing back charges for Southend, Basildon and Broomfield Hospitals from September 1 this year.
In a memo today (July 9) sent to all staff by Chief Executive Matthew Hopkins, seen by EssexLive , he said the parking situation had become "increasingly challenging". It was revealed that during the Covid pandemic NHS workers had been allowed to park for free at the sites, with the lost cost being paid for by the Government.
However, that funding stopped two years ago, with the trust picking up the cost until now. The amount of cars on the sites has also reached "unsafe" levels, Mr Hopkins said. From September 1 workers looking to park at the three hospital sites will need to re-apply for a permit and show they meet certain criteria.
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Mr Hopkins has said those who are on salary bands bands two or three - earning less than £24,336 per year - Blue Badge holders, or purely night shift workers will not be charged. The money gained from the parking charges will go to improving the facilities and also sustainable transport options, he added. Workers will be charged 0.5 per cent of their actual basic salary, with an initial discount of 0.25 per cent until ANPR [Automatic Number Plate Recognition] cameras can be installed.
Mr Hopkins said: "Staff parking charges were suspended for healthcare staff during the COVID-19 pandemic with the Government initially covering the lost income for NHS organisations. This funding stopped more than two years ago, and the cost has been picked up by the Trust, reducing the money available to invest in our hospitals.
"For these reasons, we have made the difficult decision to bring back charging for staff car parking and launch a new permit scheme, based on standardised criteria. Existing parking permits will not be valid from 1 September 2024. If you wish to park at Basildon, Southend or Broomfield hospitals or Britannia Park after this date, you will need to apply for a new parking permit and demonstrate you meet the standardised criteria.
"If you are allocated a permit you will be charged 0.5 per cent of your actual basic salary. Initially this charge will be discounted to 0.25 per cent of your actual basic salary until we have automatic number plate recognition in our staff car parks, from which point you will only be charged for the days you park on site.
"The vast majority of staff who park on site will be paying less than they were before the pandemic, and there will be no charges for staff working at bands 2 or 3, Blue Badge holders, or colleagues who only work night shifts. The money that comes into the Trust from these parking charges will allow us to invest in improving our parking facilities and sustainable transport options."
Mr Hopkins said the trust have also been working with Essex County Council to get a park and ride system up and running, but said full details would not be shared for several weeks. He added: "Staff at Broomfield Hospital will be acutely aware of the difficulties we currently have with car parking, but this site is also more poorly served for public transport options.
"I am pleased to let you know that we have been working with Essex County Council to get the park and ride service up and running once more. The details of this are being finalised now and will be shared in the coming weeks. I expect that if you currently drive to work, you will be disappointed to hear of these changes, but it is important that we are fair in how we allocate parking permits and I hope that those of you who continue to park at our sites from September will have a much improved and safer experience."
