Doctor makes a stand against parking fines
Sunderland Echo
A doctor today said she would fight hospital bosses through the courts over a string of parking fines.
Dr Cara Jennings is embroiled in a battle with trust chiefs after being ticketed at Sunderland Royal Hospital.
The junior doctor now faces going to court after deciding to make a stand and refusing to pay her fines.
Dr Jennings, who worked at the Royal until August, forked out £12-a-month for a parking permit, but often said she couldn't find a space.
She said: "There are only 50 parking spaces for regular staff, so the chances of getting a parking space, particularly if you are coming in late, is like winning the lottery.
"If you are charging 600 staff for a parking permit, but only provide 50 spaces, you have no chance.
"I had to park on double yellow lines, cross hatched areas and grass verges – anywhere where I could park safely and not cause an obstruction and get into work. What I am supposed to do, drive around the hospital for hours?
"The trust say it's all about putting patients first, but it's all about charging them money. Without doctors, nurses and staff, there is no point patients being there."
Over the course of a year, the 26-year-old, was given four £20 parking tickets. Now working at Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Dr Jennings said: "After coming off a shift in A&E in Sunderland to see a ticket on your car made me feel totally devalued.
"The NHS works on goodwill. We all work above and beyond the call of duty, nobody quibbles that extra hour. To do that and get a parking ticket for your trouble makes you think: 'Why do I bother?'"
She is now being chased by a credit referral company for repayments.
Dr Jennings said: "They have sent me endless letters. It's disgusting and quite intimidating, but I am not prepared to be bullied. If they want to go to court, it's fine by me. "
A spokesman for City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust said : "Parking and congestion is a problem everywhere, for everyone, and although the trust is providing more spaces on site than ever before, with more constantly coming on stream as old buildings are demolished, it is unfortunately not possible to keep pace with the overall increase in traffic.
"The system in operation at the Royal – like most other hospitals – is a question of first-come-first-served, with priority for patients.
"With about 5,000 staff on a city-centre site it is regrettably not possible to provide parking spaces for each individual at the time of their choosing. The trust encourages travel flexibility, car sharing and other alternatives to car use and offers generous discounts on the Metro system."
A doctor today said she would fight hospital bosses through the courts over a string of parking fines.
Dr Cara Jennings is embroiled in a battle with trust chiefs after being ticketed at Sunderland Royal Hospital.
The junior doctor now faces going to court after deciding to make a stand and refusing to pay her fines.
Dr Jennings, who worked at the Royal until August, forked out £12-a-month for a parking permit, but often said she couldn't find a space.
She said: "There are only 50 parking spaces for regular staff, so the chances of getting a parking space, particularly if you are coming in late, is like winning the lottery.
"If you are charging 600 staff for a parking permit, but only provide 50 spaces, you have no chance.
"I had to park on double yellow lines, cross hatched areas and grass verges – anywhere where I could park safely and not cause an obstruction and get into work. What I am supposed to do, drive around the hospital for hours?
"The trust say it's all about putting patients first, but it's all about charging them money. Without doctors, nurses and staff, there is no point patients being there."
Over the course of a year, the 26-year-old, was given four £20 parking tickets. Now working at Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Dr Jennings said: "After coming off a shift in A&E in Sunderland to see a ticket on your car made me feel totally devalued.
"The NHS works on goodwill. We all work above and beyond the call of duty, nobody quibbles that extra hour. To do that and get a parking ticket for your trouble makes you think: 'Why do I bother?'"
She is now being chased by a credit referral company for repayments.
Dr Jennings said: "They have sent me endless letters. It's disgusting and quite intimidating, but I am not prepared to be bullied. If they want to go to court, it's fine by me. "
A spokesman for City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust said : "Parking and congestion is a problem everywhere, for everyone, and although the trust is providing more spaces on site than ever before, with more constantly coming on stream as old buildings are demolished, it is unfortunately not possible to keep pace with the overall increase in traffic.
"The system in operation at the Royal – like most other hospitals – is a question of first-come-first-served, with priority for patients.
"With about 5,000 staff on a city-centre site it is regrettably not possible to provide parking spaces for each individual at the time of their choosing. The trust encourages travel flexibility, car sharing and other alternatives to car use and offers generous discounts on the Metro system."
posted by Neil Herron at 11:16 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home