Parking fees being brought back at Salisbury Hospital next week
Charges have been suspended since February following ANPR system problems
Parking fees will be reinstated at Salisbury District Hospital in a matter of days.
The NHS Foundation Trust says the visitor and patient car parking system will go live again on Wednesday 7th June.
Charges have been suspended since the middle of February, following problems reported with the automatic number plate recognition on site.
Extra cameras have now been installed, in an effort to improve the accuracy of the ANPR and how much car park users will be charged.
We're told 'simpler, additional validation devices' will be available for disabled drivers, with maps showing where they can be found.
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.”
How to pay
Once the system comes into effect on Wednesday, fees will apply between 6.00am and 10.00pm seven days a week.
We'll have to pay on exit using the machines in the car parks, by entering our car registration, using cash or card - or by using the APCOA app.
A one hour tariff has also been introduced, reduced from two hours, to allow for shorter visits.
There's also 30 minutes grace for drop offs and pick ups without being charged.
Parking is free between 10.00pm and 6.00am.
It can sometimes be difficult in finding a parking space on the Salisbury District Hospital site, especially between 10.00am and 4.00pm.
Visitors are encouraged to car share or use public transport to get to the hospital where possible.
The parking system is run by the hospital, with third party contractors APCOA managing the system.
After any administration fees are taken out, all the charges taken then got back into SDH and patient care.