The doubling of staff parking charges is the tip of the iceberg
Let's be clear.
The decision to double the parking charges for staff at our hospital is outrageous and unfair.
Part of the unfairness is that East Sussex Hospitals Trust staff have to pay, when staff employed by the mental health Trust, do not.
Parking at the (currently closed) Woodlands Unit, is free.
The parking charges for staff are an injustice in their own right.
But, to my mind, their imposition reflects something more deep-seated.
It speaks of the way that Trust Boards – probably up and down the country - have lost touch with the priorities and concerns of local people.
For me, involved as I have been in campaigning for a fairer parking regime at our hospital since the Summer of 2008, these issues raise the concerning question about the accountability of our health services in general.
And they follow on from the fight that we had to save Maternity Services at The Conquest and at the Eastbourne DGH...
The bottom line is that NHS boards are not democratically elected, and so they are not accountable to local people via the ballot box.
Liberal Democrats want to see the introduction of Local Health Boards which will be democratically elected. This is part of a raft of proposals published in our policy document 'Protecting and improving the NHS' (see www.libdems.org.uk).
Obfuscation and evasion; the lack of commitment to processes which are participatory and welcoming of the input of local citizens; the sense of secrecy around decision-making processes – all these things are debilitating. And I am sure that there are numerous health campaigners across the country who will testify to this.
In the meantime, as reported in last week's Hastings Observer, I have set up a Facebook Group (called 'We want fairer parking charges at the Conquest Hospital!') where people can post their views and share their experiences. At the time of writing the Group has over 800 members.
Some group members have suggested a march, or a demo, so that local people can express their anger about the parking situation at the Conquest.
For my part, I have suggested that the forthcoming meeting between the trust chair and our Labour MP could be a focus for such a demonstration.
I have written to the trust chair, Irene Dibben, asking for an invitation to be extended to all the political parties, so that a frank discussion could be had about the parking situation, and other issues.
But I received a response from Irene yesterday saying that the meeting will remain private between her and the MP.
So, I have made a further plea, to Michael Foster, for the meeting to be opened up.
I also asked, if he did not want to agree to this, at least to tell us when the meeting is planned for, so that people can demonstrate if they so wish.
I hope that you will also send an email to Michael Foster at mp@1066.net
asking him to make public the timing of his meeting with the Trust Chair.
I would also be grateful if you would you contact me if you happen to find out the answer!
To read more about what Nick has been up to, check out his blog – 'Nick Perry for Hastings & Rye' at www.nickperrylibdem.wordpress.com; or reply to him: @nickperrylibdem on Twitter.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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