Hospital parking hike in Essex only adds stress, patients say

Rosalind Wright has had two children at Broomfield Hospital and said parking was already a “nightmare” without the cost increase.

She estimated she had about 10 appointments for scans, vaccinations and blood tests, and spent between £50 to £100 to park the car.

The 39-year-old described the 20 minutes of free parking “pointless”.

“I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anybody that ever got in and out of Broomfield Hospital in 30 minutes, so it always seems like a bit of a pointless kind of advertisement,” she said.

“Your appointment’s never on time… I typically would pay three hours for what would probably be a five-minute appointment,” she said.

Some people living nearby the hospitals rent out their driveways to visitors.

JustPark is one platform that provides this service and it told the BBC that 35 spaces were listed within 2km (1.24 miles) of Broomfield Hospital, including six within 500m.

The spaces cost a daily rate of £6.15 on average, compared with £4.52 average daily rate to park elsewhere in Chelmsford.

Natasha Kerrigan, the chief estates and infrastructure officer for the MSENFT, said it was the first increase in three years and some visitors would not have to pay for parking.

She added patients and visitors could also apply for a weekly parking concession ticket.

“[Including] patients receiving chemotherapy, people visiting patients at the end of their life, birthing partners, carers supporting patients with dementia and disabled parking for Blue Badge holders.

“We recognise that any increase in charges is unwelcome, but the costs associated with operating and maintaining our car parks have increased,” she said.

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