Hospital parking charge increase to fund security

Security officers at a hospital trust have faced almost 800 "violent or aggressive" incidents in six months.

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLAG) reported its security officers dealt with more than 5,000 incidents in total at its sites in Scunthorpe, Grimsby, and Goole between January and July.

A spokesperson for the trust said recently implemented higher car parking charges at the three sites would help provide "high-quality, professional security staff" to keep patients and staff safe.

They said NLAG does not receive central funding for car park upkeep, so the charges were necessary for maintenance and security.

The spokesperson continued: "These staff are an extremely valuable part of our team, who deal with hundreds of incidents every month.

“Our priority when it comes to parking for patients and visitors is to provide a safe and secure environment for both them and their vehicles.”

Between January and July, security dealt with 5,048 incidents, according to the the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

They included:

• 793 incidents involving someone who was violent or aggressive
• Helping to support 625 patients with mental health issues
• 200 incidents involving someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• 145 instances of anti-social behaviour on our sites and 45 crimes
• 28 road traffic collisions

The new parking charges were introduced on 1 September.

The new one to two hours rate for Grimsby is £5, compared with £4.40 previously.

The day rate at the same hospital has rised to £6.20 from £5.50 before.

Details of all parking charges can be found here.

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