Hospital parking row erupts as nurse slapped with staggering legal bill
A nurse has been issued with a £205 legal bill amid a parking row after she failed to display her £25-a-month permit before a 12-hour shift
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A nurse has been issued with a £205 legal bill amid a parking row after she failed to display her £25-a-month permit before a 12-hour shift.
Sandra Barrass did not have her permit on show while parked at the Royal Stoke University Hospital in January and later received a fine.
However, the nurse didn't pay in hope that the car park operator, APCOA, would cancel the penalty after seeing that she had a valid permit.
However she has now been ordered to pay a £205 legal bill.
The nurse did not have her permit on show while parked at the Royal Stoke University Hospital in January and later received a fine (stock image)
PAShe has condemned the financial burden placed on healthcare workers and patients.
She said: "Nurses and doctors are totally fed up to the back teeth. They’re making an astronomical amount of money off the back of patients, doctors and nurses.
"You hear patients complaining about it all the time. Sometimes they’re ringing around for cash. It’s absolutely terrible and I’m sick to death of it.
“They should have a bit more leniency and a bit more compassion. The patients don’t know how long their appointments are going to take.”
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The Royal Stoke is not intervening in Barrass' case.
Director of estates Lorraine Whitehead said: “Staff are required to display a valid car parking permit and to park in the areas appropriate to their permit.
"In cases where staff have not parked in accordance with their permit or do not have a permit on display, APCOA – which manages the car parks at the Royal Stoke University Hospital - will issue parking fines.“If staff have parked appropriately and their fine was issued outside of trust policy we will work positively with them through an appeals process.
"We recognise that parking can be difficult at times and there is a long-term car parking solution with planning approved for a new multi-storey car park to be built next to the emergency department.”
The nurse has condemned the financial burden of car parking placed on healthcare workers and patients (stock image)
PAAPCOA refuses to revoke the parking penalty.
A spokesman said: "The trust’s parking policy states that: ‘All staff will be required to display a valid staff parking permit, valid for the area they are parking in when parking on any of the trust’s sites’.
"In addition, the permit itself reminds drivers that it must be displayed at all times. Details of the appeals process is contained within every penalty charge notice and any person who feels that they have been charged unfairly is encouraged to make use of this.
"In this instance, the staff member chose not to take any action at all which is why the charge has escalated."