NHS & BPA (BRITISH PARKING ASSOCIATION) WORKING TOGETHER |
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Topics: British Parking Association
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Ryan Jackson
8 May 2015
The British Parking Association (BPA) and the NHS have always shared one very important value in common: to provide the best services possible to patients in hospitals. The two organisations are once again working closely together to implement more initiatives which increase the accessibility and affordability to patients using the NHS as well as optimise parking services for hospital staff.
Director of Policy & Public Affairs Kelvin Reynolds announced, "We were really pleased to assist the Department of Health in producing these new guidelines. It is an excellent document that we commend to all Trusts and parking operators to ensure they strike the right balance between being fair to patients, visitors and staff and ensuring facilities are managed effectively for the good of everyone.
"The guidelines recognise the importance of professionalism in delivering parking services and providing a high standard of customer care, and are much aligned with our Healthcare Parking Charter currently adopted at 16 NHS Trusts."
Focusing on the overall patient and visitor experience, the guidelines as outlined in the new document are being hailed as a progressive and intuitive measure which other NHS Trusts are being encouraged to adopt. These also include promoting sustainability and reducing the number of single-occupancy cars in favour of comprehensive transport systems, which in turn free up more parking space.
Indeed, the BPA has played a very active role in ensuring that hospital parking is user-friendly and efficient, and shares a long history of working with NHS Trusts committed to making parking a convenient alternative for patients and visitors. This also means effective yet fair implementation of parking enforcement, as well as discounted fares for people who require special needs parking. Efficiently managing the funding of parking spaces is also something which the BPA has worked on, saving expenses which would otherwise come out of hospitals' already limited budgets.
Certainly, many people may rightfully argue that they shouldn't have to pay for parking at a hospital, but at the same time, these services need to be provided. Security, space management, accessibility, and maintenance are just a few of the components which go into running a parking space efficiently and effectively which is crucial for hospital services, and in order for these components to be practiced, it is essential that they are managed by professionals. The BPA recognises this and is committed to continuing its long relationship with the NHS and those using its service.