Frontline worker claims it is ‘only a matter of time before someone is assaulted’
A major review will look at parking capacity, permit allocation, and staff safety across Leicester’s hospitals(Image: Leicester Mercury)
A major review of staff parking has been launched across Leicester’s hospitals, amid claims frontline NHS workers are waiting up to four years just to get a permit.
Health chiefs say the review will examine spaces, permit rules, and worker safety across Leicester Royal Infirmary, Glenfield, and the General.
It follows mounting concerns from hospital staff, with workers warning that a permit shortage leaves employees facing steep daily charges, tickets, or long walks through unlit streets late at night.
A physiotherapist at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL), who spoke to LeicestershireLive on condition of anonymity, said the backlog is locking out even experienced clinical staff.
“What’s happened over the last few years is they’ve made it pretty much impossible for any staff members to get parking now,” he said.
Samantha Stanhope, UHL’s Associate Director of Sustainability, said the trust understood the “frustation” parking causes its staff.
“After applying for a permit in January 2025, the physiotherapist was told his application sat in the “four figures”, with an estimated three years left to wait.
A ward sister running a high dependency unit at the trust was reportedly told she still faces another one to two years on the list after working there for around four years.
Without a permit, workers report having to pay visitor rates of almost £9 for an eight-hour shift and £10 to £11 for 12 hours, leaving staff facing estimated annual bills of about £2,000.
“The only way you can park and pay is you have to pretend that you are a visitor,” the physiotherapist said.
Leicester Royal Infirmary(Image: Leicester Mercury / Chris Gordon)
Some colleagues have reportedly decided against owning a car because of the cost, with staff describing the money as cash that would otherwise go on essentials such as food.
Staff face a roughly eight-to-one scramble just to park at work, according to Freedom of Information figures from 2025. Across its three acute hospitals, the trust had just 2,270 allocated staff spaces for a workforce of more than 18,000.
LRI had the fewest staff bays, with 467 designated for staff. Glenfield Hospital had 1,056 staff spaces, while Leicester General Hospital had 747.
The same figures show the trust had 1,256 spaces for patients and visitors, with LRI the only site where these (536) outnumbered staff bays.
To avoid the daily charges, many staff are said to leave their cars on surrounding residential streets, facing walks of up to 20 minutes back to vehicles late at night.
Safety fears have reportedly mounted on the wards after nurses described being followed after dark near Glenfield, the General, and the Royal Infirmary.
While the physiotherapist said he had not heard of any physical attacks, he warned, “I do personally think it’s a matter of time before something happens. Staff members have had to park further away, and that exposes [their] time outdoors much more.”
Ms Stanhope said: “We understand the frustration around parking and recognise the challenges this can cause for colleagues.
“Parking is extremely limited across our three hospital sites, so we work closely with our partners to support colleagues with a range of alternative travel options, including free shuttle buses between hospital sites, park and ride facilities, and cycle-to-work schemes.
“We have developed a Trust Travel Plan, which will be used as we complete a comprehensive review of our parking service over the coming months.”
The trust said the review will look at parking capacity and demand, how permits and spaces are allocated, on-site and off-site arrangements, and the safety of colleagues travelling to and from work. It will also consider whether current options meet the needs of staff in different roles and shift patterns.
The trust said demand for permits at peak weekday times, from 8am to 3.45pm, is greater than the number of spaces. It said all staff who apply for an off-peak permit are eligible to receive one, allowing parking in staff car parks from 3.45pm to 8am on weekdays and throughout weekends.
UHL also pointed to its SafeZone app, which lets staff request security help and share their location. It said the Hospital Hopper bus is free for staff travelling between hospital sites, and that income from parking charges covers the cost of running car parks, with any surplus reinvested in patient care.