MP demands answers after Bedford Hospital withdraws £15 weekly parking ticket

The MP has written to David Carter – CEO at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the site – following complaints from residents.

According to the BBC, people will now have to pay the standard charges of up to £12 per day – an increase of more than 450%.

But the hospital’s chief executive said the weekly ticket was regularly being used by members of the public who weren’t even using the hospital.

In the letter sent to the chief exec yesterday (Monday), Mr Yasin said: “I am advised that the discretionary £15 weekly ticket previously available for selected patients has now been withdrawn, despite still being advertised within the hospital. If patients are now required to pay £12 a day for parking, this represents a huge leap in charges.

“Can I ask, if this is true – on what basis this decision was made, to what extent staff and patients were consulted and how this decision was communicated to patients?

“Further, can I ask if any alternatives were considered before making the change – such as raising the price of the discretionary ticket, or putting additional measures in place to verify users were genuine patients of the hospital?

“I would be interested to know, on average, how many people used the scheme on a weekly basis, and what wards they were admitted to?

“I must admit to being disappointed that this matter was not mentioned in our meeting last week. I appreciate car parking at the hospital is an ongoing matter of concern, especially in light of the proposed East West Rail development, but I am concerned about the implications for patients and visitors at the withdrawal of this scheme.”

Chief exec Mr Carter told Bedford Today: “I can confirm that we have had to make the difficult decision to withdraw the weekly parking ticket at Bedford Hospital given the rising costs of the trust’s leased car parks, lighting, security and maintenance.

"In addition the weekly ticket was regularly used by members of the public not accessing hospital services, putting additional pressure on our already busy car parks.

“Our car parking charges compare very well to other nearby trusts, and we do offer concessionary parking arrangements which extend beyond the national mandatory parking concessions for those in greatest need. The trust also operates the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme which allows for the refund of travel and parking costs for those who are in receipt of certain benefits.”