Royal Victoria Hospital staff parking in 80% of visitor spaces

Long queues for parking can often be observed at busy periods at the Royal Victoria Hospital

Staff at the Royal Victoria Hospital are parking in 80% of spaces allocated to the hospital's visitors, the BBC has learned.

The information was revealed following a freedom of information (FOI) request seen by BBC NI's Nolan Show.

Jennifer Campbell, whose father was treated at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast before his death, requested the FOI.

She said the situation has left her feeling "angry and guilty".

It comes after BBC News NI reported earlier this week on how car parking at most Northern Ireland hospitals has become costly and gridlocked due to a shortage of spaces.

On Friday, Ms Campbell told the Nolan Show that her father did not receive visitors for 48 hours in the days before his death because of the lack of parking.

An only child, she said both her and her mother had been taking turns to visit her 83-year-old father.

'How do I live with the guilt?'

The weekend before his death, her mother waited for more than an hour to access the car park without success, she added.

Ms Campbell said her mother was forced to turn back and go to work.

She described her father as very vulnerable and said he was in a room on his own as he had contracted Clostridium difficile (C. diff).

"Because we couldn't get down on the Saturday, he had no visitors [for] 48 hours" she told the Nolan Show.

"He couldn't use his phone because he had delirium.

"And I am living with the guilt eight months later. How do I live with that?"

Ms Campbell said she lives in a rural area of Ballynahinch, far from a bus route, so driving to the hospital was her only option.

The experience promoted her to submit an FOI request.

She said the revelation that staff at the Royal Victoria Hospital are parking in 80% of spaces allocated to visitors is "unreasonable".

A nurse told the BBC's Nolan show that she and other staff have been asked to park 25 minutes from the hospital - and take a shuttle bus from there.

The Nolan Show also heard from a nurse at the Ulster Hospital who said she and other staff have been asked to park 25 minutes away and take a shuttle bus to work.

Kate, which is not her real name, said the arrangement is not feasible for staff working shifts, such as herself.

"If you have a family emergency or if you take unwell during your shift, are you supposed to walk 25 minutes to go back to your car?" she asked.

She has been told that there is an eight-year waiting list to get a discounted staff car parking space at the hospital.

'Patients given priority'

Belfast Trust told the Nolan Show that while they understand people's frustration of and apologise for any disruption, "the Royal [hospital] site will never have the capacity to allow all staff to park on site".

A spokesperson pointed to car parking permits which staff can apply for. There are more than 8,500 staff working on the Royal's site.

"There are 1,038 spaces available in public car parks on the Royal site, and it would be our desire that patients and visitors are given priority," a trust spokesperson said.

"However to do so, we need to ask staff to make alternative travel arrangements.

"Belfast Trust has no funding available to build more car parks, though we are currently scoping potential off-site parking and additional park-and-ride options in conjunction with Translink," they added.

Patrick Mulholland from NIPSA said staff and patients should have free access at the point of use to the national health service.

Car parking charges at health sites are set to be scrapped from next May.

The Hospital Parking Charges Bill (2022) proposes that car parking charges should be abolished for patients, staff and visitors at public hospital sites in Northern Ireland.

Most of those who took part in an online consultation on the bill's proposals in 2021 were in favour of abolishing the charges.

But there are concerns. At the moment, outside of Antrim Area Hospital and the South West Acute Hospital, there are no plans for additional car parking at hospitals across Northern Ireland, so a chronic lack of spaces will continue to be an issue.

The Department of Health has also pointed to concerns that increased demand as a result of free parking provision will add further to the pressure for spaces.

UUP assembly member Alan Chambers said he shared those concerns but that the trusts are compelled to enforce the legislation.

"The only way that that [legislation] can be modified or changed is by a sitting of the assembly," Mr Chambers said.

Patrick Mulholland, from the union Nipsa, said making more funding available is the only alternative.

"Build a multi-storey car park in the Royal [Victoria Hospital], build one where it's required - but that means there has to be investment in our health service," he said.

"Staff and patients have the same interest here, which is that they should have free access at the point of use to the National Health Service."