Hospital parking charges petition

[John Armstrong]

We park at the Racecourse without charge - plenty of room and there's a shuttle every 20 minutes (takes only about 3 minutes) from the Parking to the Hospital (- return is also similar.) Free without charge - putting the public first.
Really hassle free - bus is usually 50% full - minus.
John

[bendrick]

Originally Posted by jackatesme

Post by Bendrick: Personally I'd rather spend £8 on a prescription and a parking charge here and there and be able to see a consultant or have an operation when I need one than free prescriptions and car parking.

While i agree with you up to a point,i must point out the other side of the coin.
My wife and myself have been prescribed a total of 11 tablets,so £88/4week period would be a big chunk out of our pensions. I would not mind paying a nominal amount but £8/prescription is a tad too much. I know it's off topic, i also think that the free bus pass is given out too freely,i think there would be money saved if people with passes be asked to give something towards the fare. All in all i think there is too much given out too freely.

Yes I do realise many people need repeat ( and expensive ) prescriptions and of course these should be covered by a very reasonable one off payment if not be entirely free.

Having relatives within the Health service administration (senior accountants ) they tell me that something like 60 odd% of people in Wales were eligible for free prescriptions anyway before charges were scrapped.

The other thing that always stuck in my mind was being told that the NHS was / is so poorly administered that when charging was the case that countless numbers of people just ticked the box on the back of the prescription that asked if you were due free
prescriptions.

The NHs administration was so lax that they were just handed free prescriptions anyway with no comeback.

To contradict myself to a certain extent, my relatives also tell me that so many people in Wales would be eligible for free prescriptions that very little would be saved in re-introducing charges as the administration costs virtually cancel out the savings.

Lets not forget of course that free prescriptions were announced by the Labour party just a week or two before the Welsh Assembly elections of 2007 in what probably remains to this day as one of the most blatant cases of a ruling political party using taxpayer funds to buy votes votes in history.

[Andy_with_a_screwdriver]

Originally Posted by stevestrat

That's the problem with the three hospitals I mentioned up here. There are 25-30 year contracts for the parking and trying to buy them out would be unrealistic.

My wife works for the NHS and gets a "discounted" rate of £2.50 a day to park the car, which is slightly cheaper than a bus return ticket of £3.50. Allowing £1 a day for fuel and it's easier and quicker for her to drive in the warm, dry, cool etc.

As I understand it the car parks or leases are sold to private companies for £ millions, for however many years. The hospitals get a quick lump of cash. The private companies then get to milk the public and keep any profit over this amount for the length of the contract. The hospitals claim they can't manage without this money. Sadly they can't be bothered to run it themselves and maximise their income, then they would have a better argument for charging for parking.

Similar for the internal restaurant/canteen, since they have built a Pizza hut and M&S next to the new car park the restaurant is losing trade because it's cheaper to buy lunches outside. Again the hospitals don't care because they get a rental income and all is well

[Andy_with_a_screwdriver]

Originally Posted by jackatesme

Post by Bendrick: Personally I'd rather spend £8 on a prescription and a parking charge here and there and be able to see a consultant or have an operation when I need one than free prescriptions and car parking.

While i agree with you up to a point,i must point out the other side of the coin.
My wife and myself have been prescribed a total of 11 tablets,so £88/4week period would be a big chunk out of our pensions. I would not mind paying a nominal amount but £8/prescription is a tad too much. I know it's off topic, i also think that the free bus pass is given out too freely,i think there would be money saved if people with passes be asked to give something towards the fare. All in all i think there is too much given out too freely.

I know it's off topic but can anybody explain why people over 60 need to receive free prescriptions when still in full time employment? They are no different to 20, 30, 40 year olds etc in employment.
When people receive an OAP at 67, or about 70 if I get there, then that is fine. Seems a massive waste of money to me considering the number of prescriptions given out for over 60s.
While I'm at it, do all pensioners need to receive bus passes and winter fuel allowance? People like Mick Jagger, Elton John et al are entitled to receive it!!Surely means testing is required.

(I'll sit back and wait for the s**t to fly!)

[slovcan]

Originally Posted by Andy_with_a_screwdriver

I know it's off topic but can anybody explain why people over 60 need to receive free prescriptions when still in full time employment? They are no different to 20, 30, 40 year olds etc in employment.
When people receive an OAP at 67, or about 70 if I get there, then that is fine. Seems a massive waste of money to me considering the number of prescriptions given out for over 60s.
While I'm at it, do all pensioners need to receive bus passes and winter fuel allowance? People like Mick Jagger, Elton John et al are entitled to receive it!!Surely means testing is required.

(I'll sit back and wait for the s**t to fly!)

How DARE you question the right of cultural icons like The Rolling Stones and Elton John to free prescriptions and bus passes. Next thing you'll be kicking the QUEEN off the bus!!!!!

























Cheers,
Glenn

[topman]

Originally Posted by bendrick

To contradict myself to a certain extent, my relatives also tell me that so many people in Wales would be eligible for free prescriptions that very little would be saved in re-introducing charges as the administration costs virtually cancel out the savings.

I think across the UK it's about 90% exemption.

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by Andy_with_a_screwdriver

I know it's off topic but can anybody explain why people over 60 need to receive free prescriptions when still in full time employment? They are no different to 20, 30, 40 year olds etc in employment.
When people receive an OAP at 67, or about 70 if I get there, then that is fine. Seems a massive waste of money to me considering the number of prescriptions given out for over 60s.
While I'm at it, do all pensioners need to receive bus passes and winter fuel allowance? People like Mick Jagger, Elton John et al are entitled to receive it!!Surely means testing is required.

The likelihood is, that due to failing health the oldies will need more prescriptions. OAP's will likely have contributed to the 'system' for all or much of their working life and again, failing health plus reduced circumstances will mean they need to make more use of public transport to get around.



OAP's at home for much longer, will need the heating on for much longer than those who are not retired and likely that heat will be even more crucial for them.



I doubt the likes of Mick Jagger et al will claim their pension, bus pass etc., besides they say it would cost more to means test these things, than to just pay on entitlement.



Once you Andy get to retire, lets have this same discussion again?

[topman]

You can make an argument for any group to not be taxed, that's a given. And in that group, they'll say they shouldn't be taxed any more.

But that's not the same as whether it's right to tax them more.

[KWIL]

Harry,

It is not how much you have contributed towards the system, unfortunately it is not a funded system (ie investment) and what goes in, goes out straight away.

They call it National Insurance, but it is just another TAX.

[Andy_with_a_screwdriver]

Originally Posted by HarryM1BYT

The likelihood is, that due to failing health the oldies will need more prescriptions. OAP's will likely have contributed to the 'system' for all or much of their working life and again, failing health plus reduced circumstances will mean they need to make more use of public transport to get around.



OAP's at home for much longer, will need the heating on for much longer than those who are not retired and likely that heat will be even more crucial for them.



I doubt the likes of Mick Jagger et al will claim their pension, bus pass etc., besides they say it would cost more to means test these things, than to just pay on entitlement.



Once you Andy get to retire, lets have this same discussion again?

I have no problem with OAPs receiving free prescriptions, winter fuel etc, my late grandmother benefitted in her last years from these things which helped her considerably. Although she didn't have much money to start with which is why it made a difference.
With cuts to bus services it is actually harder for infirm and immobile elderly to get the nearest bus stop, my grandmother had a bus pass for about 5 years but couldn't get much further than the end of the garden let alone 300 yards to the bus stop up a hill. So the pass was pointless and she had to be driven door to door.

My two points were that OAPs who earn considerably more than the average working person's wage (approx. £21K) are in receipt of these handouts.

I am currently paying my taxes to fund these incentives, and I can't see the need to give well off pensioners a free bus pass and money off their electricity bill.
Everyone has a NI number, HMRC knows how much everyone earns each year. It should be pretty straight forward to work out that everyone over 65 in the higher tax brackets pays an extra £300 (or whatever) back as tax. Hardly seems unfair to me if you earn (through pensions, work or investments) £42K you pay for your own heating.

My other point was that people 60-67 receive free prescriptions when still in full time employment, what is the difference between them and a younger working person? If this money was used by the NHS in a different way then car parks could be free.

My view will not change as I get older, which is that the benefits are for the people who need it, not by default based on age alone.