By Emily Dalton

local democracy reporter

The Royal Surrey County Hospital is launching a new system to make parking “easier’ – but patients and visitors have slammed the NHS site saying it is “impossible to park”, with some patients claiming they are missing appointments because of parking issues.

The Royal Surrey has announced it will introduce a simpler car parking system with automatic number plate recognition to track how long vehicles stay for, starting May 8. Visitors to the Guildford hospital will then pay for their parking with cash or by card at machines on site by entering their vehicle registration, or via an app.

Although many seemed to welcome the new parking process, some have complained there is not enough parking space available.

“I found it almost impossible to park,” said Nick O’Shea, 79, a former businessman. “I would have missed my appointments.”

Nick, who used to have cancer, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he used to get radiotherapy treatment from the hospital. He remembered: “My son was taking me so he dropped me [at the hospital] and went round and round and round and came to find me half an hour later.”

Nick is not the only one. People have commented on social media that they had also come in late or nearly missed a hospital appointment because the parking situation was so dire. Residents said the new payment system does not solve the “real problem” of trying to park – which can be really stressful to an already difficult time for some people. Some people on social media said they leave their car in the nearby Tesco instead.

If people do not turn up to their appointments on time, or staff can’t get there, it puts extra pressure on the NHS and costs money, Nick explained. “If you want to provide a decent hospital service you have to provide good parking to get there,” said the former councillor for Mole Valley District Council.

Locals also feared the new system would mean they get charged for the “hours spent” circling around the hospital car park, desperately trying to find a free spot, rather than the time parked.

Tom White, Royal Surrey’s director of HR with executive responsibility for estates and facilities, said: “We understand that parking has been a challenge for both visitors and staff, and we’ve made significant strides to improve the situation.

“In recent years, we’ve expanded staff parking with a new multi-storey car park and recently increased off-site capacity by an additional 150 spaces. As a result, from next month we will be able to free up more parking spaces for patients on the main hospital site.

“The introduction of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) will further enhance the parking experience for both patients and visitors, ensuring they only pay for the actual time spent at the hospital – removing concerns about parking tickets expiring.”