'Total Confusion' Over Car Park Prices for Hospital Staff
Staff at Birmingham Children's Hospital were left in a state of complete bewilderment after a new pricing structure at a nearby car park led to widespread overcharging. Employees reported being charged an extra £5 for their daily parking rate at the NCP Royal Angus car park, the closest parking facility to the hospital.
The Unexpected Price Hike
According to workers, the standard daily rate of £7.95 was unexpectedly increased to £12.95 on a Saturday. When staff queried the sudden change, they were informed that this was 'now the price', sparking immediate concerns about a significant and unannounced cost increase. Sandra Hingley, a clinical support worker on the haematology/oncology ward, voiced the collective frustration, stating the £5 rise would 'make a massive difference to everyone'. The situation was further muddled when, the following evening, she was once again charged the original rate of £7.95, leaving employees 'totally confused as to their plans'.
NCP Responds and Promises Refunds
Following the reports, NCP issued a statement to BirminghamLive expressing concern over the incident. The parking company confirmed that while a new pricing structure has been introduced across some of its sites, staff at Birmingham Children's Hospital were intended to 'remain unaffected'. A spokesperson emphasised that the company continues to support the staff with a 'greatly reduced parking discount' that has been in place for years. NCP has committed to finding any individual cases where hospital staff were charged the incorrect price and has promised to provide immediate refunds to those affected. The company is also contacting the hospital directly to help identify any accounts that experienced the erroneous price rise.
