More room for parking at hospital

A new 400-space car park for hospital workers will open this week, freeing up 360 existing staff spaces for visitors and patients.

It is hoped the extra spaces will go some way to easing the parking problems at the hospital.

Cllr Andy Morgan, part of Bolton’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, said: “We have been waiting for these spaces for years.

They are long overdue.

“I hope the visitor and patient spaces are closer than the staff spaces. Priority must be given to patients.

“I am not expecting to see any increase in charges either.”

In January, an extra 170 parking spaces for staff were created when old buildings on the hospital site were demolished.

The new Kitchener Car Park for staff will open at 7am tomorrow on the former Clare Court site, with lighting and CCTV.

At the same time, Bridge Car Park will cease to be a staff car park and will instead be for the use of patients and visitors.

Staff spaces have now increased by 210 since January.

Pressure on car parks had increased further since the transfer of some services for children and young people from Bury and Salford, as well as the move of some staff to the hospital site following the transfer of community services to the management of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust.

Stephen Tyldesley, associate director of estates and facilities, said: “We still encourage staff and visitors to use public transport or be dropped off when possible.

“But we recognise the increasing frustration of patients, visitors and staff in being unable to find a parking space at certain times.”

The demand for visitor parking is likely to change again when some outpatient clinics move from the hospital to Bolton One in the town centre over the next few months.

The ratio of visitor to staff parking will be reviewed again at that point.

Other changes being considered are turning a car park into short-stay for visitors and ringfencing a specific area for staff at the busiest times for parking.