Concerns over new hospital parking system

A Surrey hospital which is set to implement a new parking system has been criticised by patients who say it is difficult to find spaces at the site.

Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford said the scheme was due to start on 8 May and visitors could use cash or card to pay at machines on site by entering their vehicle registration, or through an app.

Tom White, director of human resources at the hospital, said: "We understand parking has been a challenge for visitors and staff, and we've made significant strides to improve the situation."

However some residents, such as Nick O'Shea, said it was "impossible to park" and he "would have missed his appointments".

The former Mole Valley District councillor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "If they want to provide a decent hospital service, they have to provide good parking to get there."

The 79-year-old, who was diagnosed with cancer, had received radiotherapy treatment from the hospital.

"My son took me to the hospital and struggled to find parking. He had to drive round and round and came to find me half an hour later," Mr O'Shea added.

Locals also feared the new system would mean they get charged for the "hours spent" circling around the hospital car park trying to find a spot, rather than the time parked.

The LDRS reported some people posted on social media they leave their cars in the nearby Tesco car park instead.

Mr White said the hospital has expanded staff parking with a new multi-storey car park and increased off-site capacity by an additional 150 spaces.

"From next month we can free up more parking spaces for patients on the main hospital site," he added.

"The introduction of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) will improve parking, ensuring people only pay for actual time spent at the hospital."

Mr White said this would "remove concerns about parking tickets expiring".

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