NHS Trust allowing harassment of staff via parking charges
Discussion
I have huge issue with this, as it has been going on for years at the hospital my wife works at, and it is going on at many other trusts as well. She has fought and successfully defended a few of these apparently unenforceable "Penalty Notice Charges" (as opposed to a Penalty Charge Notice).
In a nutshell, the hospital provide x amount of spaces for z amount of staff. The number of spaces available is around half of what is needed, and most of the staff car parks are barriers where access can only be gained via swipe card that only staff possess. Despite this, the trust employs a parking company to go round and ticket staff cars on a daily basis for all manner of things such as not mathematically in line with the space lines, permit not fully visible etc etc. The current one was for exceeding a 20 min drop off limit in the nursery car park of 7 spaces, a totally distance part of the hospital well away from anything remotely relevant.
Some members of staff have been ignoring these for years and have never had the matter taken anywhere or enforced, despite countless threatening letters of bailiffs, court action and debt recovery. Most nurses end up paying through fear however, as after 2 or 3 threats they feel uncomfortable and intimidated. Its basically a continual war that is happening between the NHS trust and it's staff, which the trust are permitting. We are told that the parking tickets are of the type that are not enforceable - Martin Lewis made reference to these on his money program this year and his advice was not to acknowledge team at all.
So this recent one has been ignored and has now escalated to a company called DRP threatening court action. It will be ignored along with all other correspondance, but I can't believe that this behaviour is allowed to continue and seemingly legal. They have even managed to trace our new address that we had not changed on the vehicles V5 document, how on earth can they have done this? If the current owners of the house have done this then they have either a) unlawfully opened mail or b) disclosed our address without our consent.
So how can I expose this shameful behaviour of the NHS trust, along with numerous others, employing and allowing a company to continually blackmail their staff for parking where they are entitled to with empty threats that cannot be enforced?
In a nutshell, the hospital provide x amount of spaces for z amount of staff. The number of spaces available is around half of what is needed, and most of the staff car parks are barriers where access can only be gained via swipe card that only staff possess. Despite this, the trust employs a parking company to go round and ticket staff cars on a daily basis for all manner of things such as not mathematically in line with the space lines, permit not fully visible etc etc. The current one was for exceeding a 20 min drop off limit in the nursery car park of 7 spaces, a totally distance part of the hospital well away from anything remotely relevant.
Some members of staff have been ignoring these for years and have never had the matter taken anywhere or enforced, despite countless threatening letters of bailiffs, court action and debt recovery. Most nurses end up paying through fear however, as after 2 or 3 threats they feel uncomfortable and intimidated. Its basically a continual war that is happening between the NHS trust and it's staff, which the trust are permitting. We are told that the parking tickets are of the type that are not enforceable - Martin Lewis made reference to these on his money program this year and his advice was not to acknowledge team at all.
So this recent one has been ignored and has now escalated to a company called DRP threatening court action. It will be ignored along with all other correspondance, but I can't believe that this behaviour is allowed to continue and seemingly legal. They have even managed to trace our new address that we had not changed on the vehicles V5 document, how on earth can they have done this? If the current owners of the house have done this then they have either a) unlawfully opened mail or b) disclosed our address without our consent.
So how can I expose this shameful behaviour of the NHS trust, along with numerous others, employing and allowing a company to continually blackmail their staff for parking where they are entitled to with empty threats that cannot be enforced?
It causes a great deal of stress though for those that get hounded for penalties that are apparently not even legal.
The people using these private, staff only car parks, are staff who are entitled to use them. So why even have any enforcement - if the car park is full so be it, people can look elsewhere, but there is no access unless you are staff - so pointless to persecute your own staff like this surely?
Did I mention, the trust get 50% of all revenue raised by these parking people whoever they are. Acceptable behaviour then?
The people using these private, staff only car parks, are staff who are entitled to use them. So why even have any enforcement - if the car park is full so be it, people can look elsewhere, but there is no access unless you are staff - so pointless to persecute your own staff like this surely?
Did I mention, the trust get 50% of all revenue raised by these parking people whoever they are. Acceptable behaviour then?
singlecoil said:
To be fair, if a car park is used by staff and others, and charges, and is too small, then the OP's wife is going to have to walk a lot further than 'a bit'.
She asked hospital security to escort her to her car and it was refused, the next nearest parking is a long long way away and in dark unlit wooded areas. To update on the initial post-
We have now had a letter from a company called "Zenith". The letter is black and white with no red logos on it and no intial visual panic.
It suggests that we pay the discounted rate of £79.99 now whilst we can - (interestingly 1p cheaper than the original "fine" of £80 issued back in May). It goes onto state that that matter has been passed onto the team for "recommended court action" with more gumph at the bottom warning us that if a judge finds a decree of some sort we could face an "increased fine". It lists the "Creditor" as CP parking, who are the parking people employed to go around the staff car park by the NHS and fine their employee's for being very naughty, in their barriered access car park.
This like the others will be ignored.
We have now had a letter from a company called "Zenith". The letter is black and white with no red logos on it and no intial visual panic.
It suggests that we pay the discounted rate of £79.99 now whilst we can - (interestingly 1p cheaper than the original "fine" of £80 issued back in May). It goes onto state that that matter has been passed onto the team for "recommended court action" with more gumph at the bottom warning us that if a judge finds a decree of some sort we could face an "increased fine". It lists the "Creditor" as CP parking, who are the parking people employed to go around the staff car park by the NHS and fine their employee's for being very naughty, in their barriered access car park.
This like the others will be ignored.
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