Politicians call on health board bosses to do more to solve RAH parking problems

Oct 9 2010 by Alison Rennie, Paisley Daily Express

Politicians call on health board bosses to do more to solve RAH parking problems

A FURIOUS row over new parking rules at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley has gone all the way to the Scottish Parliament.

Staff and residents have been up in arms since a ‘managed’ parking system was brought in at the RAH.

The large car park at the front of the hospital was given over to patients and visitors, who are restricted to parking for no longer than four hours.

Fewer than 500 staff out of the 3,000-strong RAH workforce were originally handed parking permits, although NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde recently announced they were increasing this number.

But Paisley South MSP Hugh Henry insists health chiefs have not gone far enough.

Now he has lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament which criticises them for causing the situation.

And his colleague Wendy Alexander, who is the MSP for Paisley North, has written to the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to urge him to make more parking spaces available to staff.

In his motion, Mr Henry called on the Parliament to note the “chaos” at the RAH and the inconvenience suffered by staff and residents.

He told the Paisley Daily Express: “After continued pressure from myself, Wendy Alexander, Paisley MP Douglas Alexander and our Labour colleagues in Renfrewshire Council, extra places have been allocated to staff but I want a permanent solution and that’s why I brought this motion to the Scottish Parliament.

“The residents within the vicinity of the hospital are still complaining about access to their driveways, problems with parking and with some roads being reduced to a single lane.

“Although there has been a step in the right direction, more still needs to be done. I will continue to press the health board and the council until local residents have their concerns addressed.

“The lack of communication has been shocking. It’s up to the health board to revise its policy but the council must protect local residents.

“Staff, visitors and residents deserve better.”

Workers at the RAH staged a sit-down protest at the main car park during their lunch break in a bid to highlight their plight.

And there was some reward for their efforts when health chiefs agreed to allocate extra spaces to them.

Ms Alexander has welcomed the additional spaces but has urged health chiefs to do more.

In her letter to chief executive Robert Calderwood, she suggests two alternative options for parking.

One is to give patients and visitors 230 spaces in the large car park, with 310 spaces set aside for staff, while the other is to release 165 spaces for staff at the front car park.