Hospital to relaunch parking system after three months without charges

THE hospital will relaunch it's parking system three months after the "nightmare" glitch that overcharged patients.

The visitor and patient car parking system at Salisbury District Hospital will be reinstated and ‘go live’ on Wednesday, June 7.

There were significant difficulties with the number plate recognition system earlier in the year, which led to one patient being faced with a parking charge dated 1970.

As a a result parking charges have been suspended since mid-February.

READ MORE: Salisbury Hospital car parking machine causes confusion

The hospital says it has "listened to users and has instructed the supplier to install additional cameras to improve the accuracy of the registration number recognition."

There will also be simpler, additional validation devices for disabled drivers, with maps to show where they are.

Parking fees will apply from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week in the camera-controlled 'pay on exit' system at the hospital.

Car parking is FREE for all drivers, between 10:00pm and 6:00am.

Parking can be paid for using the APCOA app, available on Apple or Google Play, with cash and card payments accepted at pay machines and kiosks.

Please note that no change is given from the parking machines, and motorcycles are exempt from charges.

READ MORE: No parking charges for hospital patients until further notice

There has been no increase to the parking fees and the hospital has introduced a one-hour tariff, reduced from two hours, so that patients and visitors could even be paying less than they have been.

There is also 30 minutes’ time to drop off or pick up without being charged.

Previously, visitors and patients had experienced difficulties when trying to pay for parking. Suzy Jennifer was faced with a £56 charge as an issue with number plate recognition cameras declared that she had been parked since January 1, 1970.

Hospital chief executive Stacey Hunter said: "I am incredibly sorry about the problems so many patients and visitors experienced when we first changed the way we collect car parking fees.

"We have listened to what people told us and instructed the contractor to install additional cameras and we have installed additional validation points across the hospital.

"Extra staff will be on hand to help visitors and patients use the new system."

Guidance for patients and visitors using the new car parking system will be available on the hospital's website: www.salisbury.nhs.uk/find-and-contact-us/