Petition reaches 2,200 signatures as Arrowe Park staff ‘charged £10 a shift to park’

A petition to give free parking to NHS workers at Arrowe Park Hospital has received more than 2,200 signatures.

Created on September 24, the online petition claims that NHS staff are being charged £10 per day to park at work, branding the move as “disgusting”.

The petition comes after Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust changed their patient and visitor parking charges at the start of September.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: “It is incorrect that staff are being charged £10.00 a day to park. Car parking charges for staff have not changed. Arrangements introduced from September 4^th 2023 relate to the patient and visitor car parks only.

“These changes do not involve staff. We have increased the spaces available to staff and the majority of parking at both of our sites is reserved for staff. Staff car parking is also subsidised. We have asked our staff to apply for parking permits and access fobs, rather than using patient and visitor car parks. This is important to ensure that car park spaces are available for patients and visitors.

“Staff working night shifts continue to access free car parking as per NHS guidance. Access to staff parking at weekends and evenings is unlimited.”

They added that following the changes to patient and visitor car parks, it “became apparent that a number of staff, who did not have car parking fobs, were routinely using the patient and visitor car parks when travelling to work” resulting in the incorrect claim that staff are having to pay £10 a day to park.”

However, staff at Arrowe Park, who wish to remain anonymous, told LiverpoolWorld that there was previously no policing over the car park, and many staff had to park there due to not being given car parking fobs.

They added that staff who live within four miles of the hospital are encouraged get public transport, or walk to work, which can be difficult for night shift staff.

According to NHS guidance, staff who work night shifts are able to get fobs giving them access to free parking, however, a staff nurse said they had been waiting for months to hear back about fob applications. It has been noted however that in recent weeks, a free car park for night shift staff has become available.

The online petition now has 2,208 signatures (as of 12pm on September 28) with a target of 2,500.