Musgrove Park: Nurses call for extra parking spaces at hospital

Nurses demonstrate outside of Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

Nurses in Somerset are demanding that an NHS trust issues more permits so that they can park nearer to their place of work.

Staff at Musgrove Park Hospital have collected more than 2,000 signatures calling for more spaces to be created, after many found themselves unable to park.

The workers have also received the backing of their union, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

Lucy Machina, the RCN's regional chair, said: "This is about staff struggling to get parking, struggling to even come into work. This is about staff feeling safe going into the car park.

"I was talking to some staff a few minutes ago, and one of the things we are raising is, people have to walk a distance. One of them was actually assaulted. And they felt very scared about that."

Lucy added: "Clearly, there are concerns about the safety of the actual members themselves, the staff, but also the safety of their own vehicles."

The hospital serves up to half a million people a year, with over 700 beds and 34 wards - meaning parking is at a premium.

Staff say they have been made to feel unsafe when they have been forced to park away from the hospital.

Justin Mitro, a representative from the Unison union said: "Lone women walking about - there's no fantastic lighting around here.

"It makes sense to have parking which is supervised, and decent lighting, which makes people feel safer when they go to their jobs."

But Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the site, has said it simply cannot provide more parking permits to staff as they simply do not have enough space for everybody who wants one.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: "Like at many hospitals across the country, car parking at both Musgrove Park Hospital and Yeovil District Hospital is limited.

"We work closely with our parking providers Q-Park and Simply Serve Limited to manage this resource fairly and encourage colleagues, patients, and visitors, to use alternative means of travel where possible."

It added that it has thanked the RCN for providing them with information about car parking and will now take the time to absorb and fully understand it.