Sarah McGinn, 59, says that vulnerable patients at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston are being trapped in overcrowded carparks and penalised for circumstances beyond their control.
Last summer, the hospital transformed its parking system, removing barriers and bringing in Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).
At the time, bosses said it would make entry and exit quicker and easier.
But Ms McGinn, who lives in Halesworth, said that is when the problems began.
She said: “There is no warning to drivers that the car park is full to overflowing. The result is that patients are stuck in a slow queue of barely moving vehicles, unable to exit or park.”
‘A disaster’
Entrance to a carpark at the James Paget Hospital. (Image: JPUH)
Ms McGinn, who is being monitored as a melanoma patient, said her first experience of the system came last November.
She was scheduled to attend a dermatology appointment accompanied by her husband who is undergoing treatment for brain cancer.
She said they entered the car park unaware it was full and became trapped for around 40 minutes while vehicles slowly circled in search of spaces.
“The removal of the barrier at the entrance which forewarned and enabled you to take other options when the car park is full is a disaster,” she said.
After 20 minutes, Ms McGinn had to abandon her husband in the car to avoid missing her appointment.
“He eventually parked and came in just as I was leaving. Given his memory loss and difficulty reading after radiotherapy, he should never have been put in that position,” she said.
‘The final straw’
Halesworth woman Sarah McGinn has said the new parking system at the James Paget Hospital is “shameful”. (Image: Supplied)
A second visit earlier this month ended with Ms McGinn receiving a fine after she parked on a grass verge close to the hospital while rushing to a time-sensitive procedure to remove a suspicious lesion.
She said there were no signs prohibiting parking on the grass and visible tyre marks suggested others had parked there previously.
“I saw signs inside saying ‘Late arrival = no treatment’. So having made it by the skin of my teeth, I breathed a sigh of relief.”
But Ms McGinn said she was left shaken after the procedure and described the parking fine as “the final straw”.
She added that she had allowed an extra 40 minutes for parking but was still caught out by traffic, roadworks and what she described as a system “not fit for purpose”.
Formal complaint
A parking ticket issued to a cancer patient at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston. (Image: Supplied)
Following a post on social media, Ms McGinn said others had shared similar experiences, including a woman who received a penalty after taking her wheelchair-using brother to an appointment.
Ms McGinn has lodged a formal challenge against the parking fine and said she had already received what she described as a “brush off” from the hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).
She is now calling on APCOA – the company which runs the carpark – and the hospital to reinstate parking barriers or introduce clearer warnings when carparks are full.
She said both organisations have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for vulnerable patients.
The hospital responds
Aerial view of the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston. (Image: JPUH)
Alison Stace, the hospital’s chief delivery officer, said: “We are aware that at peak times, our public carparks can become very busy and apologise for any inconvenience this might cause for our patients.
“To address this, we are working with the carpark operators to improve our signage, in line with the feedback we have received, to make it clearer where our more vulnerable visitors can park while highlighting areas not suitable for parking.
“In the meantime, we would ask our visitors to follow existing signage and use both public carparks at peak times,” she added.
APCOA Parking has been contacted for comment.
If you have had any issues parking at the James Paget hospital, please get in touch by emailing daniel.hickey@newsquest.co.uk