NEWS
Campaign to end rip-off hospital car parking fees reaches prime minister By Christian Duffin In a major breakthrough, health secretary Jeremy Hunt has agreed to examine ways of cutting car parking fees for hospital staff and patients following pressure from nurses and fellow MPs. Mr Hunt was scheduled to meet prime minister David Cameron and Tory MP Robert Halfon this week to discuss car parking charges. Nurses and other healthcare workers in England pay up to £200 a month in hospital car parking fees, said Harlow
MP Mr Halfon, who has compiled data on trust charges in England and campaigned for reductions after complaints by constituents. Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham charge £4 for up to two hours of public parking, Mr Halfon said, while South Bristol Community Hospital charges £12 for four hours of parking. Scotland and Wales have already scrapped hospital car parking fees. Mr Hunt faced questions over parking charges for staff and patients
Nurse Hicks of Stepping Hill Hospital left nursing to marry and have a family
HOSPITAL BUYS FIRST WORLD WAR BOOK An autograph book belonging to a first world war-era nurse that was lost for almost a century has gone on display at her former hospital. The book documents, in both words and pictures, the thoughts and emotions of wounded soldiers cared for by Mary Hicks at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport when it was used as a military hospital during the Great War. No one knew of the book’s existence until earlier this year when Stepping
Hill staff spotted a message on Twitter about the book going on sale at a second-hand book shop in Cornwall. Hospital spokesperson Helen O’Brien, said: ‘We tracked it down and brought it home. Stepping Hill has a rich history and this book brings to life the relationship nurse Hicks had with her patients.’ Several soldiers penned messages and poems, including ones about their families. Their fondness for nurse Hicks is evident throughout.
in Parliament last week, where Mr Halfon urged the health secretary to do ‘everything he can’ to alleviate the cost burden. ‘I share his concerns that car parking charges in some hospitals are too high,’ Mr Hunt said. ‘I understand that hospitals have financial pressures, as do many parts of the system, but I am happy to talk to him [Mr Halfon] about what can be done specifically about this issue.’ Earlier this month, Mr Halfon collected the signatures of more than 100 MPs on an early day motion calling for government intervention on the issue. Car parking is a particular problem at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, where the closure of one site and additional allocation at another has brought a net loss of 375 spaces. Some nurses now take the bus to work because they cannot find a space, said one nurse from the trust who did not wish to be named. She added: ‘Staff are so angry about these changes. The trust is now adding extra strain on an already stretched workforce by telling them to use public transport.’ A trust spokesperson said spaces were lost partly because of the construction of a major trauma helipad. Some staff will be given priority access to spaces, including those who live a long way from the site and community nurses who use their cars to visit patients, she added. The RCN is not pushing for free parking, but wants a ‘fair and reasonable’ deal, said senior employment relations adviser Gerry O’Dwyer. Meanwhile, nursing assistant Abigail Smith is collecting signatures on the government e-petition website calling for free parking for NHS staff. So far, the petition has been signed by more than 19,000 people.
14 july 23 :: vol 28 47 :: 2014 STANDARD Downloaded fromnoRCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 04, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Campaign to end rip-off hospital car parking fees reaches prime minister By Christian Duffin In a major breakthrough, health secretary Jeremy Hunt has agreed to examine ways of cutting car parking fees for hospital staff and patients following pressure from nurses and fellow MPs. Mr Hunt was scheduled to meet prime minister David Cameron and Tory MP Robert Halfon this week to discuss car parking charges. Nurses and other healthcare workers in England pay up to £200 a month in hospital car parking fees, said Harlow
MP Mr Halfon, who has compiled data on trust charges in England and campaigned for reductions after complaints by constituents. Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham charge £4 for up to two hours of public parking, Mr Halfon said, while South Bristol Community Hospital charges £12 for four hours of parking. Scotland and Wales have already scrapped hospital car parking fees. Mr Hunt faced questions over parking charges for staff and patients
Nurse Hicks of Stepping Hill Hospital left nursing to marry and have a family
HOSPITAL BUYS FIRST WORLD WAR BOOK An autograph book belonging to a first world war-era nurse that was lost for almost a century has gone on display at her former hospital. The book documents, in both words and pictures, the thoughts and emotions of wounded soldiers cared for by Mary Hicks at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport when it was used as a military hospital during the Great War. No one knew of the book’s existence until earlier this year when Stepping
Hill staff spotted a message on Twitter about the book going on sale at a second-hand book shop in Cornwall. Hospital spokesperson Helen O’Brien, said: ‘We tracked it down and brought it home. Stepping Hill has a rich history and this book brings to life the relationship nurse Hicks had with her patients.’ Several soldiers penned messages and poems, including ones about their families. Their fondness for nurse Hicks is evident throughout.
in Parliament last week, where Mr Halfon urged the health secretary to do ‘everything he can’ to alleviate the cost burden. ‘I share his concerns that car parking charges in some hospitals are too high,’ Mr Hunt said. ‘I understand that hospitals have financial pressures, as do many parts of the system, but I am happy to talk to him [Mr Halfon] about what can be done specifically about this issue.’ Earlier this month, Mr Halfon collected the signatures of more than 100 MPs on an early day motion calling for government intervention on the issue. Car parking is a particular problem at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, where the closure of one site and additional allocation at another has brought a net loss of 375 spaces. Some nurses now take the bus to work because they cannot find a space, said one nurse from the trust who did not wish to be named. She added: ‘Staff are so angry about these changes. The trust is now adding extra strain on an already stretched workforce by telling them to use public transport.’ A trust spokesperson said spaces were lost partly because of the construction of a major trauma helipad. Some staff will be given priority access to spaces, including those who live a long way from the site and community nurses who use their cars to visit patients, she added. The RCN is not pushing for free parking, but wants a ‘fair and reasonable’ deal, said senior employment relations adviser Gerry O’Dwyer. Meanwhile, nursing assistant Abigail Smith is collecting signatures on the government e-petition website calling for free parking for NHS staff. So far, the petition has been signed by more than 19,000 people.
14 july 23 :: vol 28 47 :: 2014 STANDARD Downloaded fromnoRCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 04, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
