Since the end of last year, constituents in Henley and the surrounding villages have contacted me about the situation at Townlands Memorial Hospital regarding parking. The current system, run by Smart Parking, has led to the imposition of many unfair Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) of £100 on those attending the hospital together with a lack of ability to contact Smart Parking.
I said:
"This has been a continuing issue since the end of 2017 and I raised the issue in debate in the House of Commons on 4 July and referred it to the Minister for Health the same day. The situation at Townlands Memorial Hospital was completely unacceptable. The parking scheme was complex for many patients and those attending the hospital to use. The imposition of PCNs was outrageous and unfair given that it was impossible to contact Smart Parking to discuss the situation. Many people found themselves threatened with court action when it subsequently turned out that Smart Parking itself seems not to have followed the law and applied for planning permission for cameras etc at the site."
In his reply on 7 August, the Minister points out that NHS Property Services who owns the site had itself intervened at the MP's request to reverse many of the PCNs that had been incorrectly issued and had had meetings with Smart Parking to arrange changes that improve the situation for patients.
In particular, the Minister confirmed that:
- There were now weekly calls between NHS Property Services and Smart Parking to track, review and rescind PCNs;
- That the hospital now maintained a log of complaints and appeals;
- That where a patient had been issued with a PCN because their details had not been entered in the terminal and that they were attending for treatment or an appointment, the PCN will be rescinded.
The Minister continued:
"NHS property Services recognises that the overall performance of Smart Parking at the sites has not been satisfactory..... At Aldershot Centre for Health, the contract between NHS Property Services and Smart Parking has been terminated.... NHS Property Services is therefore currently at an advanced stage of tendering for a single provider to manage its car parks going forward.... This service will be paid for through a management fee which will be recharged to tenants net of any income generated from these sites."
He anticipated that a new contractor would be appointed by September and that the Townlands Memorial Hospital site will be transferred to the new single provider in due course. There will key performance indicators for the new provider focussed around the needs of the visitor.
I added:
"This is good news and I am glad that the lobbying by patients and others including me and the Henley Standard is having results. I look forward to some tight performance indicators being imposed and the site being run in a way which respects the needs of the patient. I have already arranged a meeting with the Chief Operating Officer of NHS Property Services to make sure these points are fully taken on board."
Action by the MP
We have been working on this issue since before Christmas. Key highlights of the actions I have taken are as follows:
August 2018 Meeting with Chief Operating Officer NHS Property Services
July 2018 Referred to the Minister
July 2018 Raised the issue in debate in the House of Commons
March 2018 First raised with NHS Property Services to agree treatment of PCNs. Discussion continuing.
February 2018 First raised with British Parking Association
January 2018 First raised with Smart Parking
January 2018 Liaison with Henley surgeries
