Parking charges to rise for patients and visitors at PRH and RSH

The Trust says the changes to car parking charges will take effect from Monday 7 April and are being brought in to ensure the Trust can cover the costs associated with running and maintaining the car parks at both hospitals and William Farr House in Shrewsbury.

This is the first increase in charges for patients and visitors since 2021 and is due to rising costs, essential upgrades and investment in parking alternatives, such as a Park & Ride to create more capacity.

Over the past 12 months, the Trust has been working to improve car parking by improving line painting and maximising unused land to create new spaces, investing in staff Park & Ride schemes to release car parking spaces for people who need them most and installing new cameras to give the Trust more data on car parking usage to help manage demand.

New parking machines have also been installed to make payments easier for patients and visitors.

The Trust also has plans to increase the number of electric car points and cycling facilities over the coming years, as part of its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

Paula Gardner, Interim Chief Nursing Officer at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said:

“We have not taken this decision to increase parking charges lightly. We remain committed to providing the best experience for our patients and visitors. Over the past year we have been working to improve car parking on both hospital sites and are making steady progress. We know parking remains a challenge and finding a space is frustrating when you have an appointment or are visiting a loved one.

“The Trust is continuing to invest in new schemes that will improve parking for everyone, including trialling a new patient Park & Ride at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. We will continue to listen to feedback from our patients, visitors and staff to improve parking for everyone and would like to thank people for their support and understanding.”

GroupNexus, which is working in partnership with the Trust, said:

“We are happy to work with SaTH to provide convenient parking solutions for patients, visitors and staff.”

New Parking Charges

The new costs from Monday 7 April will be as follows:

- Up to 20 mins Free
- Up to 1 hour £4.00
- Up to 2 hours £5.50
- Up to 3 hours £6.50
- Up to 4 hours £7.50
- 24 hours £9.50

Concessions currently in place for some patients and their relatives will remain and are unaffected by the changes. Those include blue badge holders, patients receiving renal dialysis or cancer treatment, those visiting the hospital for issues connected to bereavement, parents of sick children staying overnight and frequent attenders.

The Trust says that all the money from parking is used to pay for the maintenance of the car parks, off-site car parking and the Park & Ride service and has made a commitment that any surplus will be reinvested into further easing car parking and frontline services.

The Trust is currently running a free trial for a Park & Ride service for patients and visitors to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. The first patients have already benefitted from the service, which started on Monday 27 January and it is hoped the scheme will be a success.

The service for patients runs from Oxon Park & Ride at the hospital between 10am and 3pm.