Anger as free parking is ruled out at new ERI

Published on Friday 19 February 2010 10:24

PATIENTS and visitors will have to pay to use a massive new car park beside the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary – despite the Scottish Government abolishing hospital parking charges.

NHS Lothian has confirmed that the new 1,176 space facility being built on green belt land at Little France will have the same charges applied because it is technically replacing a smaller car park on the site.

The news has infuriated campaigners who have branded it a "tax on the sick".

While charges have been scrapped at hospitals elsewhere, the ERI is exempt because it is operated by private company Consort – which charges up to 7-a-day.

It had been hoped that because the new car park was being built on NHS Lothian land, it would not be covered by the existing PFI contract and would therefore have to be free.

However, the health board's director of facilities John Jack confirmed today this would not be the case. He said: "The proposed site in the Bio-Quarter will replace the existing car park of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh as part of the plans to build the new world class Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

"As the car park is simply being relocated, it will still be operated by PFI provider Consort and the existing charges will apply."

The new car park will replace the 800 spaces lost through the development of the new Sick Kids Hospital on the site of the existing car park B, as well as providing additional spaces to cope with the increased demand.

Margaret Watt, chair of the Scotland Patients Association, said if the charges remained she would be objecting to the Scottish Government.

"It is ridiculous that in this day and age we are charging people to use a hospital, and that's what this is," she said.

"These charges hit the people who are already sick, or who are visiting relatives getting treatment, and it is an added stress that they do not need.

"This is a tax on the sick, and I do not understand how they can be allowed to do this on a new site. Parking used to be free at hospitals, and given the amount of money we already pay to private companies for rent on the hospital site it seems ridiculous that they cannot provide free parking."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman confirmed the charges would have to remain.

She said: "Charges only persist at three PFI car parking sites because of contracts signed several years ago.

"The Health Secretary has been clear that she would have liked all patients, visitors and staff to enjoy free parking but these contracts signed several years ago would likely cost millions of pounds to buy out – money better spent on frontline NHS care.

"For the replacement of the Sick Kids to proceed at Little France, one of the site's car parks needs to be relocated. This means the new spaces are covered by the same contract as the existing PFI car parks and the board is contractually obliged to allow charges."