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A busy medic dashes back to continue treating patients after saving herself from a parking ticket.

She is just one of 81 staff faced with the farcical runs every two hours to avoid the £40 fine by chasing a new parking spot.

One medic, who did not want to be named or pictured, said: “It’s just a total nightmare, I’m actually in the middle of seeing someone right now but instead I have to worry about making sure I don’t get a ticket. It’s ridiculous.”

Like other staff at Poole Community Health Clinic, she is no longer allocated a permit for the nearby car park.

We watched as a stream of hard-working NHS staff – from doctors to nurses and office workers – were forced to run the gauntlet several times a day.

To avoid the £40 fine for overstaying, dozens of them set alarms on their mobile phones every 120 minutes and stop what they are doing to move their cars on nearby residential roads, as traffic wardens prowled the streets.

(Image: Roland Leon)

Staff affected by the decision to withdraw their permits at the clinic are now said to be arranging appointments and meetings around their parking schedule, seeing fewer patients as a result.

Medics, who spoke to us anonymously, said fines are frequent.

Staff members took an average of 12 minutes to leave the clinic, park their car and return to work. And some had to return four times during the day.

Another medic, who did not want to be named or pictured, said: “It states in our contracts we need cars, we even have to leave clinic at short notice to visit patients, so this is just so absurd.

(Image: 10215495)

“It is just not right that you are planning your patient care around your parking every two hours. How can it help anyone when we have to leave the clinic for at least ten minutes four times a day?

“You shouldn’t be planning your diary around when you can’t see patients, not when you can.

“We were advised we could commute in bikes when the permits were cancelled but we weren’t given an answer when asked how that helped patients who need us in an emergency.”

Other staff described how it is not uncommon to get a parking ticket each week and how the removal of passes has left morale at an all time low.

(Image: Roland Leon)

One said: “The whole thing is a fiasco, but we’re getting used to it, sadly. It’s not like we’re moaning for no reason, this impacts our ability to take care of people properly, it feels like no one is listening.

“But it’s OK for management, who don’t see patients, and don’t need to leave the office, they’ve got parking guaranteed. So that’s nice for them.”

In 2014, Poole Hospital received £1.16m from its parking spaces.

This is expected to rise after it increased the number of spaces for paying visitors and patients by 25% by axing the number of staff permit places.

(Image: Roland Leon)

Hospital managers and senior bureaucrats have been given parking spaces at the back of the hospital.

Last year it was revealed NHS hospitals were making more money than ever from parking fees. In England more than £120million was collected – up by 5%.

Many trusts defended the charges, saying the money was put back into patient care or maintaining car parks.

An investigation also found almost half of all NHS trusts charged disabled people for parking in some or all of their disabled spaces.

(Image: Roland Leon)

Hospital car parking fees were abolished in Scotland and Wales in 2008, although a small number of hospitals still charge as they are signed up to private contracts to manage their parking facilities.

But the chief executive of the Patients Association said it was unfair that hospital parking in Wales and Scotland was largely free, while patients in England had to pay.

Staff members at the Poole clinic, which offers care including brain injury treatments and sexual health advice, are employed by the Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust.

Stuart Lynch of Dorset HealthCare, said: “We’re aware of parking issues for staff based at the Poole Community Health Clinic and are talking to Poole Hospital to try to resolve them.

“We are also looking at alternative parking options in the area. Patient care is our top priority, and we are confident these issues are having a minimal impact on the services we provide at the site.”

(Image: Roland Leon)

A spokesman for Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Poole Hospital, across the road from the clinic, said: “Poole Hospital recently reviewed the parking permit scheme for staff to ensure patients and visitors can access spaces when they visit the hospital.

“Following the review, patients and visitors now have 25% more spaces.

“Healthcare staff – regardless of their employer – who can demonstrate a need to have on-site parking are prioritised and it is allocated. All permit applications are considered equally.

(Image: Roland Leon)

“We work closely with our colleagues at Dorset Healthcare.”

Unison Head of Health Christina McAnea said: “Hard-working NHS staff would much prefer to concentrate on caring for patients than having to worry about moving their cars to avoid a fine.

“Parking fines are fast becoming an extra tax on the essential health staff that we all rely on to help us get better when we’re ill”

(Image: Roland Leon)

This makes life hard for nurses AND patients

By JANET DAVIES, Chief Exec and Gen Sec of the Royal College of Nursing

Nurse work around the clock to keep our NHS afloat, with many making life or death decisions on a daily basis. So, the last thing they need to worry about is getting a parking fine.

This petty measure is just one more sign that our nurses are being taken for granted.

Many already face financial hardship after years of pay restraint.

Since it was introduced in 2010, the 1% pay cap has left nurses 14% worse off in real terms.

This doesn’t just make life difficult for nurses – it’s bad for patients, too.

Too often we hear frustrated members tell us they are unable to give people the treatment and care they deserve.

Under-staffed services mean nurses can’t spend as much time with patients as they would like. Having to move their car or top-up a meter every two hours will eat away at that time still further.

We want to see the trust find a proper solution to this problem – one that doesn’t disadvantage nurses, care workers or their patients.