Doctors at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) are struggling to reach patients in emergencies because of seriously limited parking spaces.
A freedom of information request has revealed that there are just over 2,000 spaces for 11,446 hospital staff.
The medics on call at the £842 million showpiece hospital in Glasgow say precious time on emergency callouts is wasted finding one of the relatively few spaces allocated to staff.
The hospital was seriously short of parking when it opened in 2015 with 10,000 staff, say NHS union UNISON.
“Most doctors work on an on-call rota taking an allotted share of night calls,” said one consultant.
“This means attending very sick patients who have deteriorated and others who arrive seriously ill or injured in emergency admissions.
“These callouts are responded to by doctors from their homes often after they have worked long days.
“There are too few parking places and hospital wardens move us on with no quarter given. Parking permits are few and we can hardly wait on a bus or taxi to reach ill patients.”
‘We just ask for fairness’
Publicly, Health Secretary Neil Gray says he continually supports NHS staff. He praised them in the Scottish Parliament last week, saying that staff are the backbone of health and social care.
“Without their skills, expertise and endeavours the system simply could not operate,” he said.
The reality is different, say several QEUH workers.
Few staff want to be named for fear of reprisal from NHS management.
“We give everything we have to our patients and just ask for fairness from NHS management,” said a consultant.
Daytime places for doctors and other staff are also seriously short.
A locum doctor who worked recently at the hospital said he arrived well before 7am, an hour early, for work every morning to be able to park.
The British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland is urging greater care and compassion for QEUH and other NHS staff, adding that they are aware of the serious parking problems.
Dr Iain Kennedy, the chairman of BMA Scotland, said: “Car parking is an issue that has real impact on NHS staff, who often work irregular hours or at night and need to have the ability to get to and from work without worrying about the availability and safety of public transport.
“It is right that long-term access to hospital parking should be free, but it is equally crucial that spaces are available for doctors and other key hospital staff when and where they need it, so they do not face parking a considerable distance from their workplace and the stress of having to come in early to hunt for a space.
“This not only enhances the personal safety of staff when going to and from work, but ensures they are not delayed when trying to get to work to provide patient care.
“We are aware of ongoing issues with availability of parking for staff at the QEUH and we would call on the health board to work with staff to urgently address their concerns.”
Parking issue
Dr Kennedy added that, while he acknowledged measures to reduce the use of cars and protect the environment, adequate parking must be provided for NHS staff who really need it.
“We urge all health boards to look at prioritising space as a key part of staff welfare,” he said.
Trade union Unison said parking is a huge issue for staff who work shifts.
Matt McLaughlin, co-lead for health at Unison, said: “We have been campaigning on car parking since the hospital was built.
“We were promised that the available parking spaces and public transport links would be sufficient – there was even talk of a park and ride.
“Of course, none of that happened and NHS staff and patients have been left to muddle through.
“The number of parking places is governed by the local council’s planning policies, which seem to favour reducing car parking spaces over common sense.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital employs approximately 11,000 staff but, due to shift patterns, not all are on site at the same time.
“Clinicians who work permanently at this location receive parking permits.
“The hospital offers 3,727 parking spaces, with 2,055 dedicated to staff – accounting for over 55% of the total spaces on campus.
“Staff with blue badges can park in designated blue badge spaces or other marked bays on campus.
“The campus has good public transport links, and our dedicated travel planning team actively engages with staff to promote alternative transport options and travel schemes.”
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe