“I Took My Child to A&E and Ended Up Paying £35 Just to Park”
— shared anonymously by a local parent
I took my child to hospital drove around for half an hour and could not find parking. I had an unwell child in my car . I was stressed out about my child’s health and struggling to find parking added further to my stress. I ended up parking on double yellow lines and getting a fine – so my visit to A&E was not free it was 35 pound. Is the NHS free for everyone ?
“Trying to Park While My Husband Starts Chemotherapy”
I have to drop my husband off outside The Christie’s and then try to park, which at times takes 30 minutes or more before I can get to the Hematology Department to be with him during his chemo.
This delay adds unnecessary stress at an already difficult time.
— Shared anonymously
“I Couldn’t Visit My Daughter-in-Law Because There Was Nowhere to Park”
I completely agree with this campaign. Just in the last two weeks, I had to abandon a visit to my daughter-in-law because I simply couldn’t find a parking space anywhere on site. I dropped off my son, then had to drive away and park far from the hospital, waiting for him to contact me.
My daughter-in-law was left on a corridor in A&E for 48 hours. The treatment she received was excellent, and I am grateful to the NHS staff – but the hospital is clearly overcrowded and struggling to meet the demand.
Parking is a major part of that demand. If families can’t even get onto the site to be with their loved ones, how can we say this system is working?
— Shared by a resident of Oldham
“We Are Forced to Risk Fines Just to Receive Our Treatment”
Over the last 12 months, my wife and I have had to attend Oldham Hospital almost every fortnight. My wife is receiving treatment for cancer, and I am being treated for arterial fibrillation. These health issues are already stressful enough — but the added nightmare of trying to park makes an already difficult situation even worse.
We have been late for several appointments because there simply weren’t any available parking spaces.
Only this week, I attended the Lucy Pugh ward for a blood test. I spent 30 minutes driving in circles around the car park, desperately looking for a space. There were none. In the end, I parked briefly on double yellow lines. I was not blocking anyone or parked dangerously — but I was terrified of missing my appointment.
I was gone for just 15 minutes. When I returned, I had a £35 parking ticket on my car.
I accept that I parked where I shouldn’t — but like many others in my position, I felt I had no choice.
When you are facing cancer treatment or managing serious health conditions, you should not be forced to choose between receiving care and risking a fine.
And I am not alone. Many patients are now willing to risk a ticket because the hospital parking situation leaves them no other option. This is not fair, and it is not sustainable.
— Shared by a resident of Oldham and patient at Royal Oldham Hospital
“Parking Should Not Add to the Stress of Being a Patient”
I have had to visit the hospital many times over the last six months and every time I arrive, I feel anxious before I’ve even stepped through the doors, not because of my appointment, but because of the parking situation.
It can take 30 minutes or more to find a parking space, if you’re lucky enough to find one at all. You cannot park on nearby residential streets either, as they are covered by double yellow lines or residents-only permits. There are no reasonable alternatives.
As patients, we are already dealing with stressful and often serious, health concerns. We should not have to experience additional stress just trying to get into the hospital.
A multi-storey car park would make a huge difference and would be welcomed enormously by patients, carers and visitors alike.
— Shared by a local patient