Hospital users frustrated by parking difficulties

Jodi Adams, from Worthing, visits the hospital once or twice a week and has often found even the overflow car parks full.

She said: “I don’t even bother looking for a space in the main car park now because it is so packed.

“I have had appointments at 9am and when I have turned up at about half 8, the car park has been full.

“I used to get a space in the barrier car park but now it is just so busy that I am even lucky to find a space in the overflow car park.”

The Herald ran a Facebook post asking if other readers had experienced similar problems.

Carol Turner said: “I dread having an appointment at Worthing Hospital, it is a nightmare to find a space to park.”

Jenny Eustace- Easkiovitch added: “They have extended the parking zones further out, so a lot of staff pay to park in the car park as no one wants to walk 20 minutes to their car at the end of a long shift.

“Busses don’t run late enough to accommodate finish time of a late shift and are so expensive. If they ran busses a hour later and offered free or discounted price to NHS staff you could soon free up a lot of space in the car park.”

Residents also explained how they use the council car park opposite to avoid the hospital car park altogether.

David Jones, Director of Facilities, Estates and Capital, for Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are sorry that patients and visitors can sometimes find it difficult to park at Worthing Hospital at peak times.

“This is due to the ever-increasing demand for our services.

“For example, this year we expect to see nearly 30,000 more people for appointments, attendances and admissions than we did two years ago.

“Our hospital site in Worthing is compact and close to the town centre making it difficult to expand parking provision while also continuing to prioritise the development of clinical services.

“However, this year, the trust has invested £250,000 predominantly improving the availability of disabled parking facilities and we are planning capital investment in 2017/18 to further improve car parking across the trust.”

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