Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust POSSIBLE INTRODUCTION OF STAFF CAR PARKING CHARGES

Transcription

1 PAPER: SFT 2098 Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust TITLE: POSSIBLE INTRODUCTION OF STAFF CAR PARKING CHARGES PURPOSE OF PAPER: To decide whether to introduce car parking charges for staff and, if so, to agree a charging structure, consider areas for concession and green travel opportunities. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Following proposals developed by the Facilities team and Executive Directors the Trust held a six-week staff consultation to ask staff their views on the possible structure of staff car parking charges to support green travel (car sharing, use of public transport, walking, cycling) and associated improvements, staff wellbeing initiatives and to contribute to financial savings. The consultation outcome can be found in Appendix A. Car parking charges for staff are already in place in other hospitals. This paper sets out: charging costs and mechanisms in other hospitals charging options: Option 1. No charge. Option 2. A flat fee permit based system of 18. Option 3. A two tiered system based on banding and pay points 12 and 18. Option 4. A two tiered system based on banding and pay points 10 and 20. Option 5. A three tiered system based on banding and pay points 12, 18, and 20 ( All systems would be run in conjunction with a daily charge of 1 for part - time occasional users. a simple management system that is easy to administer and operate free parking for nursing, midwifery and therapy staff who use their car to provide a community or home service, volunteers and motor cycle users green travel initiatives and associated improvements 1

2 ACTION REQUIRED BY THE BOARD: To consider whether to introduce car parking charges for staff. If the decision is to introduce car parking charges for staff, agree a charging mechanism. Consider and agree areas for concessions Consider and agree areas for further work on improvements to support green travel Name: Position: Matthew Kershaw Chief Executive 2

3 Introduction Possible Introduction Of Car Parking Charges For Staff Following proposals developed by the Facilities Team and Executive Directors Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust held a six-week staff consultation from 10 February to 24 March 2010 on the structure of staff car parking * charges proposed to: support green travel (car sharing, use of public transport, walking, ) and associated improvements staff wellbeing initiatives contribute to financial savings The Trust has looked at all the responses received and considered carefully the issues that have been raised. There is a need to cover the cost of maintaining and improving existing staff car parks and to make a contribution to efficiency savings. There is also support for some of the extra income raised to go towards better facilities to support green travel and staff wellbeing initiatives, although the overall plan to charge has not been well supported in the consultation feedback. Current charges for staff to park in other local hospitals Car parking charges for staff are already in place in other hospitals. A total of seven general local hospitals were contacted to see if they charged staff to park and, if so, how much was the charge and the mechanism used i.e. monthly rates, weekly rates, daily rates, exclusion zones and the like. Southampton University Hospitals Foundation Trust Staff charges: Exclusion zone 1.5 miles for staff. Outside of zone monthly permit daily ticket. Within exclusion zone per day. Road side parking 10 per month Late shift 10 per month No guarantee of a space Royal Hampshire County Hospital (Winchester) Staff charges: Monthly restricted (4 days per week) 8.21 per month. Monthly everyday non restricted per month. No parking for day / office staff they must use the Park and Ride at a discount. Night staff 2 per night No guarantee of a space * Staff parking is deemed as bringing a motorised vehicle onto the hospital site. 3

4 Poole General Hospital Staff charges: Salary below 9K per month Salary above 9K per month 2 miles exclusion zone (if you work shifts you can qualify for a permit within this zone.) No guarantee of a space Royal United Hospital, Bath Staff charges: If not on direct bus route 1.5% of salary. Late parking 0.75% of salary but may only park after 11.00am. No charge at weekends No guarantee of a space Royal Bournemouth Hospital Staff charges: From 1 st December 2009 exclusion 1 mile will cost per month. Once agreed number of permits issued there is a waiting list. If you give up your permit and agree to cycle to work the hospital gives toward a bicycle and thereafter annually under contract to ride the bicycle to work. Occasional staff (less than 12 visits a month) 1 per day. Consultants 18 per month No guarantee of a space Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Swindon) Staff charges Band 1 up to 9, per month Band 2 10,000-19, per month Band 3 20,000-29, per month Band 4 30, per month No guarantee of a space Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Dorchester) Staff charges 1 per day 0.90 per day for car sharers No guarantee of a space NB None of the hospitals that were contacted on 11 May 2010 guaranteed a space for their staff. In the event of all of the staff parking spaces being taken staff would have to park in a public or patient car park at the appropriate rate for that car park. 4

5 Options for car parking charges Following the consultation, the Trust acknowledges that a proposal to introduce staff car parking charges would not be popular. However, there is a need to cover the cost of maintaining and improving staff car parks, making a contribution to efficiency savings and supporting green travel initiatives. The Executive Directors have considered carefully all the comments from the consultation and from Staff Side representatives. It is clear that if charges were to be introduced, there is a preference for a system that reflects staff pay and is also easy to manage. There was a strong view that volunteers and specific staff who use their car to provide a community or home service should not have to pay. While the Trust acknowledges that it is more difficult for staff who live further away or work shifts to benefit from green travel initiatives, it still had a duty to consider improvements where it could for those that do, and explore the possibility of an NHS discount scheme with operators of public transport. The following options around charging, management of the system, concessions and green travel reflect the considerations and discussions of the main points arising from the consultation. A. The Charging Structure Option 1 No change to current staff parking arrangements. Option 2 A flat fee permit based system at a monthly charge * of 18. A daily charge ** system of 1 per day to run in conjunction for part time/occasional users or staff that prefer to park this way. Advantages A very simple system to administer with an equal one price for all for the service received Disadvantages Lower paid staff pay the same as higher paid. Option 3 A tiered permit based system that reflects different salary bands. Reduced rate for staff on pay point 8 or below ( Bands 1 & 2 and the bottom 3 points of Band 3 ) at 12 per month. A flat fee permit based system at a monthly charge of 18 for all other staff. A daily charge system of 1 per day to run in conjunction for part time/occasional users or staff that prefer to park this way. Advantages Staff on lower earnings pay a smaller charge. Disadvantages More complex to administer than a flat rate system. * Monthly charge would include all hours of all days ** Daily charge would cover the specific day or shift 5

6 Option 4 A tiered permit based system that reflects different salary bands. Reduced rate for staff on pay point 8 or below ( Bands 1 & 2 and the bottom 3 points of Band 3 ) at 10 per month. A flat fee permit based system at a monthly charge * of 20 for all other staff. A daily charge ** system of 1 per day to run in conjunction for part time/occasional users or staff that prefer to park this way. Advantages Staff on lower earnings pay a smaller charge with a bigger difference between the lower and higher rate. Disadvantages More complex to administer than a flat rate system. Option 5 A tiered permit based system that reflects different salary bands. Reduced rate for staff on pay point 8 or below ( Bands 1 & 2 and the bottom 3 points of Band 3 ) at 12 per month. A fee at a monthly charge * of 18 for staff between pay point 9 and pay point 32 ( Top 4 points of band 3, all of bands 4,5 and 6 and the bottom 7 points of band 7). A flat fee at a monthly charge * of 20 for all other staff. A daily charge ** system of 1 per day to run in conjunction for part time/occasional users or staff that prefer to park this way. Advantages Staff on lower earnings pay a smaller charge with a bigger difference between the lower and higher rate. More earnings related for all staff. Disadvantages More complex to administer than a flat rate system. (With either option it is proposed that residents will pay the standard 18 per month) Recommendations The recommendation is for a tiered approach which would be fairer for staff on lower pay bands. Bearing in mind that other hospitals charge staff for parking and, having considered, charges and mechanisms in other hospitals the Joint Board of Directors favour option 3. Following this further information has been received from the Staff Side and others and we have added options four and five. Option 5 is now the recommended option. * Monthly charge would include all hours of all days ** Daily charge would cover the specific day or shift * Monthly charge would include all hours of all days * Monthly charge would include all hours of all days ** Daily charge would cover the specific day or shift 6

7 B. Management of the System In order to manage a new system a high emphasis must be placed on keeping the system simple for both users and staff that will administer the system. In addition a system that is robust enough to administer and enforce is as important as a system that is cost effective. Monthly fee: This would be deducted from wages in arrears. It is possible that for those staff that choose to, the salary sacrifice scheme could be used to offer some tax relief. Further exploration of this is being undertaken with the Inland Revenue. Daily rate: Ticket would be purchased in advance and displayed on the dashboard. New permits would be issued that will show which group a vehicle belongs to. Vehicle details would also be kept electronically in order that cross referencing can take place. Each permit will be able to hold up to two vehicle registration numbers. One permit will be issued per staff member. Permits will need to be changed between vehicle if and when required. V5 documentation or insurance details will be required when registering a vehicle There would be 6 groups each represented by a differently worded and coloured permit, they would be Monthly Paid, Daily Paid, Residents, Volunteer, Exempt / essential car user and Purchased Permit. These permits would easily identify to the car park attendants what further information to look for i.e. a scratch card with the correct date displayed for a Daily Paid permit. Vehicles will be checked daily. Those that do not show a valid permit will: Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 A ticket reminding staff of their obligation to pay. A letter to the member of staff secured to their car outlining that they had parked once before without paying, and of their obligation to pay and warning that further measures will be taken. Further measures will be taken e.g. clamping, ban vehicle from site. Disciplinary procedures should only be taken for any action that poses a health and safety risk or is threatening or abusive to members of staff. C. Concessions Following comments from the consultation and also discussions with Staff Side representatives it was clear that if a proposal to introduce car parking charges for staff were to go ahead, concessions would be welcome in some areas and the Trust is proposing free parking for the following staff groups. 7

8 Free parking for staff who use their car to provide a community or home service. This will need to be confirmed and agreed by the line manager Free parking for motor cycles in dedicated shelters (motor cyclists who use car parking spaces will pay normal daily rate). Free parking for volunteers D. Green travel. Following some comments from the consultation and also discussions with Staff Side representatives there was a view that the Trust should explore a number of opportunities that would support green travel and make improvements to the existing arrangements. Explore the expansion of shower and changing facilities to support staff green travel initiatives. Review number and placement of cycle racks and improve the condition of existing racks. Explore the possibility of a special deal for staff on the bus between the hospital and the city centre. Explore options to improve the road surface on the restricted byway between the hospital and the Britford Park and Ride for bicycle users. NB. At present Wiltshire Council will allow staff to park for free at the Park and Ride facilities at Britford, Wilton, the Beehive, London Road and Southampton Road if they cycle to work from there. Currently opening hours are 7:15am to 7:30pm. From 1 June 2010 it is believed the sites will close at 7.45 pm, but even if the site is closed people can still get their cars out by pressing the help button on the exit barriers. Walkers using the Park and Ride site must pay the appropriate parking fee. These issues will be taken forward and explored by the Transport and Strategy Steering Group and reported to the appropriate board groups. E. Other Issues Although the Trust cannot guarantee a space for all staff, making alterations to car parks 8 and 9 to provide temporary alterations to alleviate pressure on staff spaces, will be explored. F. Conclusion Having fully reviewed the consultation response it is recognised that staff car parking charges are not widely supported, however the options considered have shown that charges are a necessity and have highlighted the best way forward. 8

9 Appendix 1 The Consultation Staff were told about the consultation by , cascade brief and flyers to wards and departments. The consultation document and response form were placed on the Trust s Intranet and paper copies made available through the Facilities Directorate. In total, 31% of staff responded to the formal consultation by using the electronic consultation tool on the Trust s intranet, in hard copy and by and letter. In addition, 214 ed responses were received outside the formal consultation process and these reflected either no to the principle of charging staff or contained comments that mirrored those in the formal consultation. All have been read to ensure that the points have been captured. There was also a detailed response from the UNISON Salisbury Health Branch and Staff Side highlighting their views, which has been summarised at the end of appendix 1. * Following the consultation, the Trust discussed the outcome of the consultation and considered a range of options. Staff Sides second response can be found in appendix 2. The consultation asked the following questions: A flat fee of 18 per month is proposed, do you think this is the best method to use? Do you think that a tiered approach relating to salary bands is the best method to use? (Please note that this would mean an increase in the top level, above the 18 a month charge proposed for the flat fee system) If we do include an alternative daily charge e.g. 1 scratch card pay and display in the overall charging structure, do you think the scratch card method is practical? Is there more we can do to promote green travel? Do you agree with our approach to use money generated in this way to support green travel and improvements that facilitate this? Do you agree that a proportion of the money raised through staff car parking changes should be used for staff wellbeing? Do you have any comments or suggestions that will help? 9

10 Summary of Staff Responses Staff were asked to give a simple yes or no answer to questions 1,2,3,5 and 6. The analysis is as follows: Q1. A flat fee of 18 per month is proposed, do you think this is the best method to use? 17.47% agreed with this statement % did not agree (220 agreed 1040 did not) Agree Disagree Q2. Do you think that a tiered approach relating to salary bands is the best method to use? 30.92% agreed with this statement % did not agree (390 agreed 870 did not) Agree Disagree

11 Q3. If we do include an alternative daily charge (e.g. 1 scratch card pay and display) in the overall charging structure, do you think the scratch card method is practical? 35.96% agreed with this statement % did not agree (453 agreed 807 did not) Agree Disagree Q5. Do you agree with our approach to use money generated in this way to support green travel and improvements that facilitate this? 40.16% agreed with this statement % did not agree (506 agreed 754 did not ) Agree Disagree Q6. Do you agree that a proportion of the money raised through staff car parking changes should be used for staff wellbeing? 50.14% agreed with this statement % did not agree (632 agreed 628 did not) Agree Disagree 11

12 Staff were asked to give their views on whether more could be done around green travel in question 4 and in question 7 provide general comments that would help or clarify their view or ask for further information around the other questions listed. The analysis is as follows: Q4. Is there more we can do to promote green travel? Staff have provided a number of ideas that would help promote and improve green travel. Below is a summary of the main themes, comments and the top 15 areas covered in terms of level of responses. Although the Trust has had unsuccessful discussion with local bus companies in the past, there was support for the view that the Trust could explore the possibility of NHS staff discounts with bus companies, and that whether a direct bus could run between the hospital and the Park and Ride site at Britford. "Have consultations with the local bus company regarding cheaper travel and better use of the park and ride. This would be beneficial for the local community and a greener option." "Possible liaison with Wiltshire County Council re the use of park and ride. Buses from the park and ride sites could run every 15 minutes in peak time and 30 minutes at all other times" "The park and ride service should come to the hospital on a regular basis and go on later in the evening to allow staff to use this facility" Some staff asked whether a dedicated hospital staff bus service could run between the hospital, city centre and train station. "Free dedicated shuttle bus from outlying towns like some companies have" "Yes, return to providing a free bus from the centre of town every 30 minutes, we used to have this that would allow people the option to walk to town, use park and ride at Wilton, London Road, Britford and Southampton Road and catch the bus from the town centre" There were also a number of suggestions and requests for better facilities for staff who cycle, walk or run to work. This included, better bike racks, lockers for cyclists and availability of showering facilities for cyclists, runners and walkers. "Provide lockers and proper changing facilities (ideally with a shower) for those of us who cycle" "How about more facilities to allow staff to cycle in...such as showers / changing rooms / lockers to store cycle equipment? (I am a member of staff on the bank so I do not have easy access to these as I move around the hospital. What I find stupid is that the staff club has ample shower / changing facilities however it is not open early or late enough 12

13 to allow me to use it if I am doing an early / late shift. I would be happy to cycle in if I found it easier to shower / change and have somewhere to store my cycle equipment" "Yes, secure well lit bike stands. Easily accessible showers and lockers for cyclists" There was strong support for incentives for staff who use green travel to get to work. Some of the suggestions for this have been free motor cycle parking, free or reduced car sharing spaces, a charge based on vehicle emissions / engine size and free or reduced Staff Club membership. "Make a proper cycle path the current one is something and nothing. Convert the existing pavement to a cycle path and make a new footpath in the field but make it well lit and safe" "Do more for car sharers! its no good thinking everyone can walk or bus. Many Trust staff whether clinical or non clinical travel fair distances into work. Consider them as well as those local individuals" However, staff did express a concern that staff who lived further away, live in rural areas or had to bring children into the staff nursery could not benefit from green travel initiatives. The 15 most common key themes in order of volume from this question are summarised below: Green travel not an option because of: where staff live (distance, rural location), disabled, bring children into nursery Work with the bus company to provide cheaper fares/subsidies for NHS staff Make use of Park and Ride for patients, visitors and staff Introduce dedicated bus services for NHS staff with a number of pick up points Incentives for car sharers, bus users, cyclists and other green travellers Better facilities (showers, cycle racks) / work with Council to improve cycle routes Better timetabling and more bus routes Introduce Exclusion Zone and promote bus for staff who live nearer Rearrange shift patterns Guarantee a space Better lighting, cycle paths, walkways, security Re-launch of Cycle to Work scheme Free motorbike spaces Hospital data base for car sharing 13

14 Q7. Do you have any comments or suggestions that will help? There were a large number of responses to this question and a number of themes that could be drawn out from staff comments. Below is a summary of the main themes, comments and the top 15 areas covered in terms of level of responses. The fact that some staff could not benefit from green travel initiatives was a key point for some because of where they live. Difficulties with public transport and shift patterns, and no guarantee of a parking space was also an issue raised by a large proportion of the respondents. How will this work for shift workers who start before a bus service is available, no alternatives for public transport so forced into using their car" "All shift workers are required to work nights, weekends and public holidays as well as early and late shifts. Public transport is not readily available at these times and no direct routes exist from surrounding villages as the hospital is not sited in the city" "I do not think it is appropriate to charge staff to park in their place of work, especially staff who work shifts and bank holidays / weekends etc as alternative methods of transport may not be available or appropriate" Should these charges go ahead I would wish that the hospital would provide adequate car parking spaces for all staff for all shifts, the feeling of paying car parking charges and not being guaranteed a parking space is not being received well at all by ward staff" ". if we have to pay for spaces how will we be guaranteed a space to park if we are on a late shift or mid morning start for example when the car park is full by then" If car parking were to be introduced there was a preference for a tiered approach, which in some way reflected Banding to help staff who were in lower bands, or reduce the top rate flat fee. There were also a large number of respondents that favoured a daily charge for part time/occasional users either as the main form of charge or in conjunction with another system. A flat rate is clearly unfair as people on Band 1 would be paying as much as a consultant, but more should be done to push as many staff as possible to other methods, public transport, walking, cycling etc" "I understand that car parks need to be maintained and I agree that a small charge would probably be acceptable to most people. This must be tiered though as the difference between wages of a Consultant and a Cleaner must be taken into account" 14

15 There was also an issue about staff who had to use their car as part of their work or for other NHS staff not employed by the Trust. There were a small number of respondents that felt that staff car parking charges would affect recruitment and retention. "I have to bring my car to work to use for work purposes, this is in my contract taking patients for home visits therefore I do not feel it is appropriate for me or others in the same situation to be charged" "As a member of a community team who requires a car to do their job I would also like to know what provision would be made for community staff" The 15 most common key themes in order of volume from this question are summarised below: Availability of spaces / guaranteed space. Having a space but not having paid for it. Rurality of both the hospital and the home address Scratch card / daily rate approval as opposed to a flat monthly fee for all Poor public transport / green travel options from the home address Agree with a pro rata tiered approach Appropriate charging for part time / full time / annual leave / bank holidays Reduce the rate down from 18 per month Concerns over effect on overall pay Improve car park facilities and assistance including maintenance and gritting Clarification on parking charges for other staff e.g. PCT staff, volunteers Agree with exclusion zones so those living close to the hospital either pay more or are not allowed to bring their car on site Would like to see green travel incentives i.e. free bus or car share spaces, free motor bike parking discount for car sharing, free Staff Club Concerns from car users who use their cars for Trust business i.e. visiting patients on home visits 15

16 Other issues From the information gathered in this consultation, it can be seen that the proposal to introduce car parking charges for staff has not been viewed positively. Specific issues have been raised by volunteers, residents who live on site, staff who have to use their car as part of their job and staff from other NHS organisations who work on this site. There was also a view expressed that the Trust should be more open about how the money would be spent and, if it was being used to contribute to efficiency savings, this should be made clear. The proposal did state that money would be used for this purpose as well as green travel and staff wellbeing, (40.16% felt that it should go towards green travel, 50.14% to staff wellbeing). Based on suggestions made, the Trust will look to apportion money appropriately and make this clear. However, there was an acknowledgement from some staff and agreement in principle that staff car parking charges should be introduced. "This is going to be a very contentious issue, I think income generation is very important to the Trust and car parking charges was always going to be an option" "In principal I do not disagree with the proposal of parking charges. I do think that consideration does have to be given to the charges as finances are already being stretched in homes already" "I appreciate that this is being considered because of future financial challenges" "The money should be used to help the Trust with the financial savings necessary over the next few years to increase job security" Green Travel There were a large number of responses and suggestions around green travel which have been covered earlier in this paper and all these will be considered by the Transport Strategy Steering Group in the development of a revised Green Travel Plan Views of the Staff Side Working Group In its written response to the consultation, Staff Side disagreed with the principle of charging staff to park at the hospital as it felt that it reduced the economic wellbeing and living standards of the majority of staff at the hospital as large numbers of staff have no other practical means of getting to the hospital without using their car. However, if car parking charges are implemented they would prefer a sliding scale based on salary bands. While there was a preference for a system that reflects part time working, they would want this to be a pro-rata rate according to how often staff worked on site, rather than a scratch card, which they felt was not green, in terms of production and recycling opportunities. They also feel that essential car users 16

17 staff, who use their car in their contract of employment - should not be charged for parking on site. In its written response to the consultation Staff Side support green travel initiatives and have stated their view that the hospital must use at least some of the income from increased revenue, if it does introduce a charge and to reduce the cost for staff to use other means of transport to the hospital where those are available. They have, however, questioned whether the introduction of charging will have a great effect of deterring people from using their car. The Trust will continue to work closely with Staff Side and share any information used in the development of its Green Travel Plan. In its written response to the consultation, Staff Side do not oppose extra income from parking charges for staff well-being initiatives, if they are supported by staff, although they suggest that any increase on site security provision should be met from existing funds. While it supports the use of extra income to help with efficiency savings the Staff Side Working Group would be prepared not to challenge the introduction of parking charges if it is used positively to protect employment and limit any impact to other pay and conditions. The Trust will continue to share information with the Staff Side Working Group and will work closely with them on these issues. 17

18 Appendix 2 Views of the Staff Side Working Group following the outcome of the consultation process Charging staff to park In its written response to the presentation of recommendations to the Joint Consultative Committee, Staff Side favours Option 1 - no change and continued free car parking. However, if the Trust Board decides to adopt charging then Staff Side believe that Option 3 (Reduced rate for staff on pay point 8 or below Bands 1 & 2 and the bottom 3 points of Band 3 ) should be the model for this. In addition Staff Side believe that if the Trust Board wish to introduce charging, that there should be a higher rate than 18 per month for all those on Band 8a upwards, (so above an average annual base income of 38,851). This higher rate should apply to all senior managers and medical staff earning above that level of base salary and the proceeds from that additional income should be used to further reduce the amount required from staff on Band 3. Salary Sacrifice Staff Side would like confirmation that staff could pay for parking at work through a salary sacrifice scheme. If this is confirmed, Staff Side would like this to be offered to staff at the hospital in order to potentially reduce the burden of the new parking charge for some through slightly decreased tax benefit. However, as with all salary sacrifice schemes it must be voluntary and staff must be clearly informed of the potential impact on some salary related benefits which could be affected by taking slightly lower base pay. For example pension, which is based on final salary, and redundancy etc. Cars used for work Staff Side welcome the proposal that staff who regularly use their cars for work in delivering 'clinical'services should not have to pay. However, their opinion is that this exemption must apply to all casual and essential car users who as part of the conditions of their employment are required by this employer to bring their car onto site to perform their duties. This should not be dependent on what the duty is or how frequently it occurs but the principle that the employer has called upon the employee to use their car for work and as part of that duty have to park it on site. Staff Side hope that this is not an issue and the example cited at the last Joint Consultative Committee, of employees using their cars to travel to off site meetings would not apply in this case because it is their option what method of transport to use for such travel, and in many cases they would not come onto the site on those days anyway. This request from Staff Side only covers those employees where specific reference is made in their terms of employment to the requirement to provide a car for work purposes, and whilst this is, almost certainly, only 'clinical staff', we 18

19 should not get hung up on the definition clinical but it should apply to all employees where that requirement exists. On-call arrangements On-call - the principle here must be that anyone on-call who has to attend the site more than once a day must not be charged more for the additional number of times that they park on site. We accept, however, that just because an employee is on-call does not mean that they should have preferential treatment and not be charged for the minimum parking charge for travel to work on that day if the car itself is not required for work, only for travel to work. Part time workers The principle of charging must be that the charge is pro rata to the full rate according to the number of days an employee is normally on site as part of their normal rota, based on a standard five day week. Staff Side recognise that some small amount of extra administration may be necessary and some trust placed in employees when purchasing parking permits, however the process by which individuals are charged should not be determined by this calculation. Staff Side see no reason why a part time worker cannot be provided with a monthly pass and charged an appropriate pro-rata monthly amount via salary. The argument about the risk of individuals 'selling'on permits purchased at a lower rate (which is fraud) should not determine this matter and the more important principle is that the charge should reflect the service delivered and the hospital should make it as easy as practicable for staff to pay for this service regardless of their working pattern. Park and Ride Staff Side welcome the fact that some staff may be able to park their cars at a Park and Ride and cycle to work for free. Some clarification is necessary on whether this is also applicable to walkers *. The ability for some staff to access this will relieve some pressure on parking spaces at SDH, however, this will inevitably be restricted by capacity and accessibility of the Park and Ride sites (including opening times). Buses Staff Side welcome the commitment from the Trust to speak with Wilts and Dorset with a view to seeing whether reduced fares can be made available to staff here who use that service. We do recognise that the introduction of charging for parking is in large part a drive to increase revenue for the Trust as part of the Downside Plan and therefore the amount available to support this initiative may be relatively low. Staff Side believes however that it is only through a genuinely incentivised system that green travel planning will be successful and that does ideally need investment by the employer in providing realistic alternatives to car usage. * It is confirmed that only cyclists may use the Park and Ride for free, walkers would have to pay the appropriate daily rate. 19

20 Penalties Staff Side will fight any attempt by the Trust to discipline staff for not paying the parking charge. This is not a condition of employment issue and not a matter covered by an employees contract of employment. We therefore dispute whether the hospital even has the ability to discipline, and potentially dismiss, employees in this situation. It would be quite wrong for the Trust to victimise otherwise good employees on this matter. The range of penalties that we recognise the Trust must look into if it is to have a robust charging system has to be based on the principle that this is an issue of service provision and not an employment matter and so must be either fines or restriction of service. 20