Hero nurse at Royal Stoke University Hospital faces £205 parking fine

A nurse at the Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent, has been ordered to pay a £205 legal bill for a parking fine incurred at her workplace.

The fine was issued in January after Sandra Barrass forgot to display her £25-a-month parking permit during a 12-hour shift.Sandra Barrass hoped that APCOA, the car park operator, would cancel the fine upon realising she had a valid permit.

However, the penalty was upheld, and she received a legal notice demanding payment.Expressing her frustration, Barrass highlighted the widespread discontent among hospital staff and patients regarding the parking situation.

She criticised the financial burden placed on healthcare workers and patients, calling for more leniency and compassion from the parking management.Sandra said: “Nurses and doctors are totally fed up to the back teeth. They’re making an astronomical amount of money off the back of patients, doctors and nurses.“You hear patients complaining about it all the time. Sometimes they’re ringing around for cash. It’s absolutely terrible and I’m sick to death of it.

"Lots of people have got their grievances against the car parking company.“They should have a bit more leniency and a bit more compassion. The patients don’t know how long their appointments are going to take.”The Royal Stoke is not intervening in Sandra's case.

Director of estates Lorraine Whitehead said: “Staff are required to display a valid car parking permit and to park in the areas appropriate to their permit.

"In cases where staff have not parked in accordance with their permit or do not have a permit on display, APCOA – which manages the car parks at the Royal Stoke University Hospital - will issue parking fines.“If staff have parked appropriately and their fine was issued outside of trust policy we will work positively with them through an appeals process.

"We recognise that parking can be difficult at times and there is a long-term car parking solution with planning approved for a new multi-storey car park to be built next to the emergency department.”APCOA is still refusing to quash the parking penalty.An APCOA spokesman said: "The trust’s parking policy states that: ‘All staff will be required to display a valid staff parking permit, valid for the area they are parking in when parking on any of the trust’s sites’. In addition, the permit itself reminds drivers that it must be displayed at all times."Details of the appeals process is contained within every penalty charge notice and any person who feels that they have been charged unfairly is encouraged to make use of this. In this instance, the staff member chose not to take any action at all which is why the charge has escalated. "

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