Free parking for NHS staff set to be scrapped

[Still Waters]

Free hospital parking for NHS staff is to be scrapped by the government, in a move critics have described as “disgusting”.

Health secretary Matt Hancock announced on 25 March that the government would cover the costs of car parking for NHS staff who he said were "going above and beyond every day" at hospitals in England.

However, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ease, the Department of Health has said the free parking will continue only for "key patient groups and NHS staff in certain circumstances", although no further timeline has been given.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has said that to reintroduce charges while the virus is still being fought would be "a rebuff to the immense efforts of staff across the country and the sacrifices they have made to keep others safe”.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/free-hospital-parking-nhs-staff-065013505.html

[stevewinn]

The Govt wiped clean the debt of the NHS. there is no excuse to re-introduce parking charges for staff or patients.

[Carlos Allende]

Why not ...why not... -- and this is just a suggestion -- get all lazy civil servants and gravy-train council workers to pay for _their_ parking, and then use to revenue to build hospital staff free, GOLD PLATED car parks?

[itsnotoutthere]

5 hours ago, stevewinn said:

The Govt wiped clean the debt of the NHS. there is no excuse to re-introduce parking charges for staff or patients.

Two words - cash cow.

[stevewinn]

12 minutes ago, itsnotoutthere said:

Two words - cash cow.

exactly. economy the size of ours, £2.6trillion, twice the size of Russia. £15Bn spent on foreign aid last year. and their charging hospital staff and patients for parking its bonkers. clearly political and policy by Govt and NHS.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

Quid Pro Quo from the government, they get the people to clap for the NHS, so the NHS should do something for the government, like charge their employees for parking. Makes sense to me.

[Setton]

19 hours ago, Carlos Allende said:

Why not ...why not... -- and this is just a suggestion -- get all lazy civil servants and gravy-train council workers to pay for _their_ parking, and then use to revenue to build hospital staff free, GOLD PLATED car parks?

You think civil servants and council workers don't pay for their parking? The ones who can actually afford to drive to work, that is.

Have you visited the planet Earth recently?

Edited July 9, 2020 by Setton

[Susanc241]

As an ex NHS employee I know that parking fees were introduced initially at some hospitals because their locality made them prime spots for free parking for people working nearby, thus depriving patients and staff of parking spaces.  It didn’t take long to realise what a cash cow it could be and soon everyone joined in.  My last hospital working place is a small local hospital almost surrounded by fields and a few houses along the main road that goes past.  There is no reason for anyone to want or need to park in this hospital‘s car park except the patients and staff, yet they still went ahead and introduced charges.  It proves that the charges are a money grabbing exercise and nothing to do with being the deterrent it was originally.

[RAyMO]

22 hours ago, stevewinn said:

The Govt wiped clean the debt of the NHS. there is no excuse to re-introduce parking charges for staff or patients.

As long as nhs trusts rely on Agency staff their problems with financing will continue. Whatever rules or procedures drive them down the agency staff route need to weeded out. 

Edited July 9, 2020 by RAyMO

[Duke Wellington]

18 hours ago, stevewinn said:

exactly. economy the size of ours, £2.6trillion, twice the size of Russia. £15Bn spent on foreign aid last year. and their charging hospital staff and patients for parking its bonkers. clearly political and policy by Govt and NHS.

It would be better to say to a foreign country you have gold, or silver, or lithium, or iron, or oil, etc.

Instead of us giving you £15 billion how about we come and setup some mining industries? As its in your country you can have 30% of the shares, we will have 30% of the shares, and the other 40% can be held by private investors. Then every ones a winner.

Why are we paying tribute to countries for nothing in return? Why are we paying out money when it could be used to benefit us? And we arent even meeting half-way as with the above example where both sides benefit.

[Duke Wellington]

2 hours ago, Susanc241 said:

As an ex NHS employee I know that parking fees were introduced initially at some hospitals because their locality made them prime spots for free parking for people working nearby, thus depriving patients and staff of parking spaces.  It didn’t take long to realise what a cash cow it could be and soon everyone joined in.  My last hospital working place is a small local hospital almost surrounded by fields and a few houses along the main road that goes past.  There is no reason for anyone to want or need to park in this hospital‘s car park except the patients and staff, yet they still went ahead and introduced charges.  It proves that the charges are a money grabbing exercise and nothing to do with being the deterrent it was originally.

I am tempted to have sympathy for you.

But I have also seen the endless stream of free chocolate bars, crisps, coffees, etc, that companies donate to hospital staff. You lot are on decent money too.

[Setton]

46 minutes ago, Cookie Monster said:

It would be better to say to a foreign country you have gold, or silver, or lithium, or iron, or oil, etc.

Instead of us giving you £15 billion how about we come and setup some mining industries? As its in your country you can have 30% of the shares, we will have 30% of the shares, and the other 40% can be held by private investors. Then every ones a winner.

Why are we paying tribute to countries for nothing in return? Why are we paying out money when it could be used to benefit us? And we arent even meeting half-way as with the above example where both sides benefit.

Aside from the moral argument, in a word, diplomacy.

Just because the benefits aren't pounds in the treasury, doesn't mean there aren't benefits to helping developing countries.

[Carlos Allende]

4 hours ago, Setton said:

ou think civil servants and council workers don't pay for their parking? The ones who can actually afford to drive to work, that is.

Have you visited the planet Earth recently?

Went out with a council worker, once. It really _is_ a gravy train of quasi-jobs. 

[Setton]

Just now, Carlos Allende said:

Went out with a council worker, once. It really _is_ a gravy train of quasi-jobs. 

Uhuh. And your equally extensive experience of 'lazy civil servants' is..?

[Carlos Allende]

2 minutes ago, Setton said:

Uhuh. And your equally extensive experience of 'lazy civil servants' is..?

Well, you know, there's a reason Private Eye isn't sued by about ten defamed civil servants every week. And they've clearly got enough time on their hands to be a network of gossipy spies for Tim Shipman. 

[Setton]

Just now, Carlos Allende said:

Well, you know, there's a reason Private Eye isn't sued by about ten defamed civil servants every week.

Because they are not allowed to.

Quote

And they've clearly got enough time on their hands to be a network of gossipy spies for Tim Shipman. 

Such a network that there's one significant story in a blue moon.

Out of interest, what have you been doing during lockdown?

Furloughed? Part time? Working from home?

Civil servants are still working flat out so you can keep earning and keep healthy.

But you keep attacking the easy target that can't fight back. That's what cowards do, after all.

[Susanc241]

59 minutes ago, Cookie Monster said:

I am tempted to have sympathy for you.

But I have also seen the endless stream of free chocolate bars, crisps, coffees, etc, that companies donate to hospital staff. You lot are on decent money too.

I am retired and was not a clinical staff employee, but admin, typing up referral letters and reports to GPs and the like.  When I retired I was barely above the U.K. minimum hourly wage.   I never saw any of the chocs, biscuits and such presents given to the nurses etc.  I never needed to park anyway as was in walking distance, but gave that hospital as an example that even when charging for parking can’t be for deterrent purposes they still now charge.  And I don’t need anybody’s sympathy  but pleased you were tempted!!

[Carlos Allende]

1 minute ago, Setton said:

Out of interest, what have you been doing during lockdown?

Fair challenge. I had about a week furloughed while my company set up screens, etc.

What's your story, mate? Why are you so beholden to low-level government workers?

[Setton]

Just now, Carlos Allende said:

Fair challenge. I had about a week furloughed while my company set up screens, etc.

What's your story, mate? Why are you so beholden to low-level government workers?

Twofold. I value fairness and have several close friends in the civil service. While you were on furlough, they were working long days, commuting on crowded trains and putting their lives at risk so your company knew what measures to take to get you back to work. They have had zero bonuses or rewards for taking these risks on behalf of the public. Instead, their pay will probably be cut, again, to prop up businesses like yours.

Without them, you wouldn't have those screens, would still be on furlough and possibly looking at being out of a job in the future.

I also think it's beyond despicable that a certain element of society has realised that civil servants are not allowed to respond to slander and has used that fact to blame them for everything they don't like in the country.

Meanwhile, these same people keep working for the good of the country for increasingly little respect and reward.

[Duke Wellington]

12 minutes ago, Setton said:

Aside from the moral argument, in a word, diplomacy.

Just because the benefits aren't pounds in the treasury, doesn't mean there aren't benefits to helping developing countries.

A strong nation is neither one that is selfish or one that goes out of its way to please others. The selfish only take, the pleasers only give. Both convince themselves they are moral when neither are.

Britain needs healthy sustainable relationships with other countries. Healthy sustainable relationships are two-way partnerships not one-way dependencies where we give and give like some kind of wet blanket which is unable to act in its own national interest.

We should not be donating money at all. We should be investing our foreign aid budget by setting up businesses and industries in other countries. That would give them employment and corporate tax revenue, and it would give us dividends. Both sides win with that approach instead of only the receiving aid benefiting.

[Duke Wellington]

12 minutes ago, Susanc241 said:

I am retired and was not a clinical staff employee, but admin, typing up referral letters and reports to GPs and the like.  When I retired I was barely above the U.K. minimum hourly wage.   I never saw any of the chocs, biscuits and such presents given to the nurses etc.  I never needed to park anyway as was in walking distance, but gave that hospital as an example that even when charging for parking can’t be for deterrent purposes they still now charge.  And I don’t need anybody’s sympathy  but pleased you were tempted!!

If you weren`t on NHS payroll but were contracted to them through an agency as admin then you do know people can claim their parking, travel, work related equipment, food and drink back? Many nurses and doctors are contracted to the NHS too, and most of them reclaim their expenses through umbrella.

For those agencies which dont do umbrella then a contract worker can do it themselves. All they have to do is save their receipts, login to the tax part of HMRC, and submit their claim which then comes off their income tax and NI contributions.

If you were NHS staff then I would have been tempted to ask for extra money to cover the parking.

[Setton]

8 minutes ago, Cookie Monster said:

A strong nation is neither one that is selfish or one that goes out of its way to please others. The selfish only take, the pleasers only give. Both convince themselves they are moral when neither are.

Britain needs healthy sustainable relationships with other countries. Healthy sustainable relationships are two-way partnerships not one-way dependencies where we give and give like some kind of wet blanket which is unable to act in its own national interest.

We should not be donating money at all. We should be investing our foreign aid budget by setting up businesses and industries in other countries. That would give them employment and corporate tax revenue, and it would give us dividends. Both sides win with that approach instead of only the receiving aid benefiting.

Like I just said, they are not one-way relationships. The benefits on our end are just less tangible.

[Carlos Allende]

1 minute ago, Setton said:

Twofold. I value fairness and have several close friends in the civil service. While you were on furlough, they were working long days, commuting on crowded trains and putting their lives at risk so your company knew what measures to take to get you back to work. They have had zero bonuses or rewards for taking these risks on behalf of the public. Instead, their pay will probably be cut, again, to prop up businesses like yours.

Without them, you wouldn't have those screens, would still be on furlough and possibly looking at being out of a job in the future.

There's a lot of supposition there, but point taken. I think where your argument falls down is that there's _a lot_ of private sector workers doing parallel infrastructure jobs that would undercut their salaries in a heartbeat if they got the chance. I know I would. I realise there's protectionism in all jobs, but you've got to admit that government work is particular susceptible; I'm a firm believer that, if someone had sufficient time on their hands, there's not a government department or local authority anywhere that you couldn't bring down just with Freedom of Information. 

[Duke Wellington]

Just now, Setton said:

Like I just said, they are not one-way relationships. The benefits on our end are just less tangible.

What are the benefits?

Did it change the Chinese attitude towards us or did they go ahead and annex Hong Kong anyway? How does paying for the Indian Space Program benefit us? How does feeding Ethiopians benefit us?

[Jarocal]

3 hours ago, Cookie Monster said:

It would be better to say to a foreign country you have gold, or silver, or lithium, or iron, or oil, etc.

Instead of us giving you £15 billion how about we come and setup some mining industries? As its in your country you can have 30% of the shares, we will have 30% of the shares, and the other 40% can be held by private investors. Then every ones a winner.

Why are we paying tribute to countries for nothing in return? Why are we paying out money when it could be used to benefit us? And we arent even meeting half-way as with the above example where both sides benefit.

How is a 30% share fair to a developing country? The 40% private investment is going to be market speculators looking to jump in, grab a quick profit, then move onto the next entry level offering with rapid growth potential. 

70% of the profit from establishing a new industry will remain outside of domestic hands. While well intentioned can you see how a population in a developing country may perceive such a scheme as foreign entities pillaging their resources in a manner eerily similar to colonialism?