THE Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) has recently reviewed its car parking tariffs for patients and visitors at The Princess Alexandra Hospital.

A spokesperson said: “The focus is on revising our charges to help manage demand in response to patient and visitor feedback on the availability of car parking spaces and ensure there is a contribution to the costs of maintaining the car parks.

The current public car parking tariffs have been in place since 2020, and the pricing structure works on the principle of an initial free period for 20 minutes and then charges for 4, 6 and 24-hour blocks.

PAHT will introduce a new tariff system with increments of up to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 hours; followed by blocks of 7-12 hours and 12-24 hours. The aim is that the new increments will be targeted more at times patients and visitors are on-site, helping to manage demand and increase the availability of parking spaces for patients and visitors at peak times by encouraging a swifter turnover of spaces within the hospital.

The new charging structure, outlined below, has been aligned with other acute hospitals in the region including Lister Hospital, and Addenbrookes Hospital.

First 20 minutes free (calculated from the time you enter the hospital site)
1 hour: £3.50 (no current rate)
2 hours: £5 (no current rate)
3 hours: £7 (no current rate)
4 hours: £8 (current rate: £2.90)
5 hours: £9 (no current rate)
6 hours: £10 (current rate: £4)
7-12 hours: £12 (no current rate)
12-24 hours: £15 (current rate: £6 for 24 hours)

“Free parking arrangements will remain in place for Blue Badge Holders, parents/guardians of children admitted overnight, frequent outpatient attendees, and a range of other patients with particular needs, full details are published on the website”.

Tom Burton, chief finance and infrastructure officer, said: “Our current car parking charging structure has been in place for over five years; and the new tariffs have been aligned with other acute hospitals in the region.

“We hope that visitors understand the reason for introducing the new tariff structures, which are designed to help manage demand and ensure we can meet the rising costs of maintaining the car parks. We expect car parking charges to generate upwards of £0.5m annually, to meet the running costs of our car parks which currently exceed any income that we generate.

“Free parking arrangements remain in place for registered Blue Badge holders, parents/guardians who need to stay overnight with young people in our care; for patients that need to attend for appointments or treatments on a regular basis, and other exemptions.”

For information about getting to and from The Princess Alexandra Hospital, including the car parking tariffs and exemptions/concessions that apply, visit the website.