Nurses face 'postcode lottery' for free parking

Nurses face a postcode lottery when it comes to free parking, with some left at the mercy of hefty fines while out in the community, a news editor has claimed.

Journalist Gemma Mitchell is calling for a nationwide approach for nurses' parking.

It comes after Varanica Whinfield, a community nurse from Oldbury, was given a £100 fine for parking at Perry Barr Village while comforting a bereaved family, and Lisa Smith was fined at the same location after getting stuck in a lift while trying to treat a sick baby.

The Royal College of Nursing said some councils had introduced permit schemes, but that it was "far from universal".

Whinfield tried to appeal against her parking fine through Popla, an independent appeals service for parking fines issued on private land, but it was refused.

The BBC contacted Popla and was told they Whitfield was fined because she did not have a permit, but it would have been waived if she displayed one of two specific medical badges.

However, the BBC determined that she was not eligible for either of them.

Popla insisted that the parking firm did not need to cancel the fine unless she was showing these badges.

Mitchell told the BBC that parking fines had been an issue affecting nurses for "a long, long time."

"We launched a campaign back in 2008 calling for free parking for all nurses across the UK," she said.

"I agree that it really needs to be a nationwide approach, whereas at the minute I think it's a bit of a postcode lottery for nurses. It's up to councils to decide if permits can be given.

"All nurses have got to get out there and see patients without stress, without charges, without fines.

"They're really busy. They don't get paid enough. They can't afford to be paying fines and charges."

Mitchell said it would be fair if there were alternative places to park, but in some cases there were not.

She added: "This is life and death. They need to get in there. They need to see these patients.

"Community nurses keep people out of hospital in their homes where most people want to be, where the government wants them to be. They should be supported to do this."

Mitchell thinks the solution would be a national permit that automatically gave nurses the right to park in permit zones or in pay and display areas for a limited period of time while they are performing their duties, as long as the parking is safe.

"They can't be parking on double yellow lines. Nurses appreciate that," she said.

A spokesperson from the Royal College of Nursing in the West Midlands said: "Many of our community nurse members have experienced the frustration of returning to their vehicle to find a penalty ticket stuck to the windscreen because an appointment delivering essential care to a vulnerable person has over-run or been delayed.

"In some areas, including Worcestershire, councils have introduced parking permit schemes that prevent nursing and other healthcare workers from receiving costly parking fines when visiting patients at home, but unfortunately this approach is far from universal.

"We would urge more of our local councils, working with their local NHS trusts, to follow suit to enable community nurses to carry out their vital work without fear of becoming victim to a parking fine."

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