| A health authority spokesperson confirmed today that the report — which will contain recommendations for possible changes to current charges — is about to be prepared in the wake of a number of meetings of a review group established last autumn.
However, it is not known at this stage what kind of changes may be proposed.
If Mr Bates does receive the review report next month it is possible it could then go before the full NHS Tayside board in March.
Parking charges are in place at many hospitals across Scotland, with the level of charges having attracted criticism.
Although the charge at Ninewells — £1.50 per visit — is far from the highest in Scotland, it has seen many regular visitors to the complex considerably out of pocket.
The current review was ordered last August by Mr Bates after it emerged in research carried out by Macmillan Cancer Relief that cancer patients attending Ninewells have had to pay an average of £380 for parking during treatment.
Dundee East MSP and SNP health spokesperson Shona Robison had requested a review of charges, which she labelled “tantamount to a tax on being ill”.
Criticism of the charges was also levelled by Dundee councillor Neil Powrie, who described them as “morally wrong” and called for the levy for patients and visitors to be scrapped.
Mr Powrie has had personal experience of the parking charges situation at Ninewells.
He underwent cancer treatment a few years ago and was required to make regular visits to the hospital.
He calculated that, had he not been provided with a disabled parking pass because of the arduous nature of his treatment, he would have had to pay out £400 for parking.
However, it is not just regularly attending out-patients who are faced with hefty parking bills, visitors making frequent trips to visit long-term in-patients and also staff are having to fork out substantial sums if they have to park within the precincts of Ninewells.
There have been complaints, too, about a shortage of disabled parking bays.
The NHS Tayside spokesperson said today that the review group had met under the independent chair-manship of former Tayside chief constable Bill Spence.
The group comprised representatives from NHS Tayside, the health authority’s public partnership group, car park operators Vinci Park and Dundee City Council’s transport department.
“The review group have met several times and they are pulling together their conclusions and are about to write up their report, which will include recommendations,” said the spokesperson.
“It should be going to the chairman in February.” |
