'Serious' parking issues across NHS

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11 March 2010 at 09:26

Half of all people say crowded and expensive NHS car parks make visits to the hospital more stressful, according to a new report.

The Which? survey placed problems finding a space, confusing payment schemes and cost among the most frustrating problems facing hospital visitors.

Almost 70% of those polled said they thought charges were too expensive, while 52% said they had problems finding a space. Two-thirds of people said they had to queue to find a place and, of those that did, 33% found the payment system confusing.

The poll also found that 70% of people had experienced a problem with parking, with and 49% saying the difficulties made their visit more stressful.

Which? conducted the survey as part of a response to the Department of Health's consultation on NHS car parking.

Chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith said: "It's outrageous that using an NHS hospital car park is such a problematic experience for so many people. Visiting hospital is stressful enough."

Copyright © Press Association 2010

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