Patient with heart condition lands £100 surgery parking fine after appointment overran

A man with a heart condition was fined £100 for overstaying in his doctor's surgery car park after his appointment overran. The Grove Medical Centre in Swansea introduced new parking measures in December, in a move to "improve availability of parking spaces for patients visiting", according to the centre's website.

Third party Civil Enforcement Ltd now manages the car park, and a system is in place where patients must enter their vehicle registration details into a tablet at the right of the patient check-in screen at each visit, even if they are only calling in to collect a prescription. That will in turn give them two hours free parking whilst at the surgery. Failure to do so could result in a parking fine of up to £100.

The patient, who does not want to be identified, had only expected to attend the centre for a routine check, but those within the surgery said he needed to stay longer, which in turn led to him exceeding his stay and ending up with the fine. The patient has been told the fine will be reduced to £60 if he pays within seven days. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.

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A source close to the patient said: "This is completely unacceptable. It is so very difficult and stressful to see a GP right now without adding this into the mix. Also, if the patient is elderly or doesn’t have a smart phone, apparently they have to pay a small charge. How on earth would an elderly or vulnerable patient be able to manage this?"

The Grove Medical Centre declined to comment, referring WalesOnline to Civil Enforcement Ltd. Attempts have been made to contact the parking operator. Its website states: "At Civil Enforcement Limited, we strive to take complaints seriously as they help us improve areas of our products and services and resolve any issues relating to the consistency and quality of our business operations.

"Our complaints policy is an opportunity for customers to tell us when we might have fallen short of expectation, and how we can put things right. Civil Enforcement Limited receive, evaluate, make, and record its decisions on complaints in a non-discriminatory manner, in accordance with the requirements of our accredited parking association."

Customers who wish to make a complaint must do so in writing. You can find out more about its complaints policy by clicking here. Try WalesOnline Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.