Hospital bans afternoon visits

Afternoon visitors will be unwelcome in the hospital and car-park

Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral is banning all weekday afternoon visiting from April.

The hospital says the action is only temporary while it sorts out its parking problems.

But the charity Age Concern says restricting visits to the evenings will make it difficult for many people.

The hospital insists it will allow afternoon visits again once it has introduced new parking charges which will fund a park and ride scheme.

The hospital currently runs a park and ride service which costs £100,000 a year.

It has decided to stop that service and spend the money instead on patients.

Morale 'in jeopardy'

From April, in anticipation of more people using their cars as a result, the hospital will ban all afternoon visits to patients.

Chief Executive of Wirral Hospitals NHS Trust, Frank Burns said: "The car-parks are overwhelmed during the afternoons to the point where our patients are having really serious difficulties finding a parking space.

"Many of our patients are turning up for thier appointments very distressed because they are late."

Myrtle Lacey from Age Concern said: "Contact with family and friends is an integral part of their recovery and their rehabiiltation.

"It's their morale that is in jeopardy. We would be very concerned if the hospital visiting is constricted to just the evening time."

Arrowe Park say they now plan to charge for parking once they get permission from Wirral Council.

They hope to charge £1 per day for visitors and patients, and £2-a-week for staff.

But they say that until the new parking scheme is sorted out, there will be no afternoon visits from April onwards.