Forum Topic

hi jim, you have a good point.I definately know that the total amount goes to ecovert, and a set sum of £460k per year is given to the NHS as a deduction of the total amount that the NHS has to pay ecovert per year. the total income of the car park is not disclosed due to the terms of the contract between the 2 companies ( or basically how well their pockets are being lined)!. The statement that the high costs are due to the amount it costs to maintain the disbled parking is in fact a load of rubbish, the fact is that they just realised how much more money they can make by charging disabled badge holders.When you discuss the issue of charges the response is by putting the Trust on the front line by saying that they are unable to take any money away from clinical resources,it is not the £460K per annum that i and others wish to stop. This is just a small fraction of the total profit, the rest is taken by Ecovertfm. The following is a little more info on Ecovertfm:-Ecovert FM is part of the Facilities Management division of Bouygues Construction, operating within the United Kingdom. Ecovert FM is the service partner and co-investor of Bouygues UK on all PFI/PPP projects, including:   Barnet General Hospital   King's College University, New Hunts House   King's College University, Franklin Wilkins Building   Home Office   West Middlesex Hospital   Central Middlesex Hospital   In addition, Ecovert FM is expanding its activities into the more traditional, outsourced FM Market, including its most prestigious contract to date for the Cabinet Office.   Current maintenance, repair and replacement services provided by Ecovert FM include:   Heating, ventilation and air conditioning   Electrical installation   Plumbing, sanitation and public health   Building fabric   Life safety and security systems   Lifts and escalators   Emergency power systems and UPS   Life cycle   Catering, cleaning and portering   Reception, switchboard and help desk   Security guarding   Post, mailroom and courier services   Design, print and reprographics   Project, environmental, energy and other management services As a fast growing services company, Ecovert FM delivers innovative Total FM solutions using its own directly employed workforce, who are supported by a comprehensive training and appraisal system, in order to provide high quality, value for money services.     Over 1100 staff directly employed in front line, customer facing service delivery   Turnover in excess of £40m They did actually forget to mention in this web page that their services also rob the sick, poor and elderly!With a turnover in excess of £40million they are not doing to bad are they!

Ina Chureetur ● 7062d

I often wonder who counts all that cash that's collected by those Payment Machines!Say £100,000 in cash is deposited in the Payment Machine..can the mechanism be fiddled by anyone so that it only shows that £90,000 was recorded ..and the £10K is bunce.?Who counts? Who check the figures?  Is it in Management Company's interest to amend their figures of income received so that they can invoice the NHS a higher figure?  Who checks this?I recall in recent times a scam at Hounslow Marks and Spencer Car Park..when £1000's was being syphoned off..but the Cashier ended up in Court. Then there was the famous case at the BT Telephone building at the Chiswick Flyover some years ago, where Red Phone Box coin trays were delivered for counting and emptying. Some 30 staff including supervisors had sewn Coin Bags into their trousers pockets so that they could stagger out of the building with all the 50p coins....every day...for ages!!! Even the Trades Union was aware of the scam but not until the Police pounced.. did the practice end. There was a big Court case which revealed houses in Spain etc etc.Remember also the tale that a regular Official Visitor to West Middx Hosp told me one evening. He said that within the past 2 years ....the Hospital Car Parking payment machine kept giving out duff 50p coins as change!!He made complaints to the Car park office..and only after severe pressure did the swallywags swop the dud coins.Maybe your enquiries at West Middx Hosp should dig even deeper..to find out what goes on. Will those helping your Camapaign just skim over the matter...or will  they get down to the nitty-gritty?Who checks all that car parking money (cash)? Is the NHS being shortchanged? The money being collected there is scandalous.At the Brentford NHS place in Boston Manor Road..where the Farmers Market was held...I don't recall seeing parking meters there.At Ashford Hospital..I don't recall seeing meters there either.

Jim Lawes ● 7062d

Local NewsCharges are parking madBy Estelle MaraisA woman fed up with being left out of pocket on every trip to West Middlesex hospital, Isleworth, has started a petition to get parking fees reduced on the site.Isleworth resident Ina Chureetur began the campaign after she and a friend coughed up a total fee of £20 in just a one-day trip to West Mid with their children who regularly have to visit the hospital.The single mother of three has enlisted Brentford and Isleworth MP Ann Keen's support in her petition to have the fees reduced.Miss Chureetur 32, said: "I am totally disgusted by the cost of hospital parking, it's far too high."People shouldn't have to be charged for parking because they are sick, it's a financial strain and it's like rubbing salt into their wounds."In one day, parking at West Mid has cost myself and my friend £20 we are feeding the parking meters instead of our children."The current minimum charge for parking at West Middlesex hospital is £1.20 and allows the user to stay for up to one hour.According to the hospital the cost for car parking on the premises relates to ongoing maintenance, security and management of these facilities.It is also used to ensure dedicated emergency, essential user, staff and disabled spaces are effectively controlled and available when required.The hospital spokeman said it is carrying out an ongoing review of parking Anyone interested in taking part in the petition should sign the online form at www.ipetitons.com in the campaigns section under hospitalparkingsaltinwounds' or contact Miss Chureetur on 07951 605 748.3:57pm Thursday 2nd February 2006

Ina Chureetur ● 7063d

I mentioned you.what do you think?I'll put my letter up for you to see.thank you for all your help.21/1/06                                                                            Miss Ina Chureetur                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Reference: The high cost of hospital parking.Dear Mr Blair,                      My name and address is as stated above. I am a single mother of three children and have been campaigning against the high cost of hospital parking at West Middlesex University Hospital since November last year. The prices continue to increase rapidly and are already causing major financial strains on the sick, elderly and poor. It is due to theses high charges that additional problems have occurred. Although it is good to encourage the public to use public transport this is not always an option. I attended a meeting with the NHS Trust and the company that runs the car park called Ecovertfm, in which I highlighted the many areas of concern. Previous to this meeting the hospital had issued a consultation paper listing three options for possible changes, they blamed the high cost due to the fact that disabled parking is currently free of charge. The three options are as follows: -1. Continued ample free parking for disabled badge holders and the introduction of concessionary rates for regular users. This would lead to a further increase in car parking charges for general users, substantially above the rate of inflation.2. Limited additional provision of free but time restricted (short stay) parking for disabled badge holders outside the main car parks with charges for disabled badge holders within the main car parks in line with general parking charges. In addition the introduction of concessionary rates for frequent patients and relatives who regularly visit long stay patients (over 2 weeks. This would lead to an inflationary increase only in charges.3. Introduce charges for disabled badge holders in line with general parking charges and a concessionary rate for patients who have to attend the hospital on a frequent (i.e. daily outpatients treatment for a sustained period of time) and relatives who regularly visit long stay patients (over 2 weeks).Note: there is no legal requirement to provide free or reduced parking facilities for disabled badge holders.It light of this paper, it appears that the NHS and Ecovertfm are planning to charge disabled users. With regard to option 2 most disabled users will need to use the main car park, as it is the closest point of entry to the hospital. None of these proposals will assist any of the problems that I have encountered in the hospital by which I mean that the majority of patients will be discharged within 2 weeks. A friend of mine whose daughter is suffering from leukaemia is usually discharged within this time. When my goddaughter  (20 month old baby) is taken to A&E the cost of that journey involving 1 day is £11.65 at least. My baby was born 2 months premature and was in the special baby unit for 2 weeks, which I attended, each day and spent all day with him. These parking charges are soon to be increase and are already over the current rate of inflation.These high costs are putting great strain on the public who are attending the hospital because they are sick, or they are visiting loved ones that are sick. This is not a fair situation in which companies are allowed to over charge the public in which they are basically robbing the elderly, disabled, sick, poor and bereaved.This also applies to other things such as the high costs of calling out and in to the hospital which is currently at a price of 49p per minute.I began this campaign by putting a thread on our local TW8 community forum site that has now received 250 replies, comments and opinions. This issue has also spread to the communities of Brentford, Isleworth, Chiswick, Ealing and Acton.I have recently begun an on-line petition on which I have received the support and signatures of local councillors and MP Ann Keen. The address is http://ipetitions.com/campaigns/hospitalparkingrubssaltinwounds The cost of hospital parking is like rubbing salt in to the wound of the sick, poor, elderly and bereaved and I as well as the public believe that laws and regulations should be in place to stop such companies from over charging in these situations.I hope you will take the time to respond to my letter, which regards a problem that is quickly increasing throughout Britain and is a major issue for the people of my area.                                                          Thanking you kindly                              Yours sincerely                                                                            Miss Ina Chureetur     

Ina Chureetur ● 7076d