Visitor car parking improvements on the way to Sherwood Forest Hospitals
Posted Friday, November 8, 2024 5:44 PM
Patients and visitors will soon have more ways to pay for parking at Sherwood Forest Hospitals.
A new Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) visitor parking system is expected to go live at King’s Mill Hospital and Mansfield Community Hospital on Thursday 14 November and at Newark Hospital on Friday 15 November. The ticketless system aims to help improve flow in and out of car parks and ensure both visitors and employees park in designated car parks to help ease parking difficulties.
With ANPR, vehicle registration plates are scanned by camera on arrival and payment is made before leaving the car park. A physical ticket is not provided.
Payment machines at all three hospitals will take cash, card and contactless payments. Motorists are asked to make a note of their vehicle registration if they wish to pay by machine. In addition to this, people will have the option to pay via an app called Trust which can be downloaded from the relevant app store for their smartphone.
Richard Mills, Chief Financial Officer who oversees Estates and Facilities at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “We hope the introduction of ANPR will improve vehicle movement on site by providing a quicker entrance and exit at our car parks.
“The new system will make it easier for patients and visitors by offering more ways to pay, which is particularly good news at Newark Hospital where coins have been the only method of payment.
“We know spaces are limited and parking can be challenging at times, so we are grateful for everyone’s support and patience as we continue to improve our car parking arrangements.”
The pricing structure has changed to bring visitor parking charges in line with other Trusts in the region and includes a free 30-minute drop-off period, which has increased from 15 minutes.
There are also drop-off zones outside the main entrance at all hospitals and the Emergency Department at King’s Mill where visitors can park for 10 minutes.
Free or reduced-price parking will remain in place for various patient groups, including free parking for Blue Badge holders. Blue Badge holders who visit the hospital regularly are encouraged to register their Blue Badge by registering for an account on the GroupNexus platform (external site) and entering the invitation code BH2F8HJ when prompted. They can also contact reception at King’s Mill or the general office at Newark or Mansfield Community Hospitals.
Visitors who are eligible for other car parking concessions should continue to speak to a member of staff in the ward or department they are visiting or contact main reception or general office.
Additional staff will be on hand to support patients and visitors when the new system goes live.
Anyone who does not park in accordance with car parking rules risks receiving an automatic fine of £50, which is reduced to £25 if paid within 14 days.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals, which offers the option of virtual appointments to patients who don’t need to attend in-person, continues to encourage patients and visitors to use public transport to visit its hospitals where possible.
While the hospital trust recognises that public transport isn’t practical for everyone, it has worked with partners to install two new bus stops within the grounds of King’s Mill Hospital to make it a more convenient option for many.
The Trust is also working with local providers to explore how to further encourage the use of public transport by both employees and patients.
For more information about visitor parking at SFH, please visit the parking page on our website.
