Car parking at Oakland’s Medical Centre available for staff and patients only
Car parking has been an issue at the Oakland’s Medical Centre for many years, but as a result of Cheshire East Council introducing chargeable parking for the Middlewich car parks, the situation has become more critical. As a result, we have had to review our provision of car parking at Oakland’s Medical Centre.
We have only 28 car parking spaces available as well as 3 disabled spaces and we employ a team of over 40 colleagues and this includes Rowlands Pharmacy with over 8 members of staff as well as PCN and Trust staff, the majority of which live outside of Middlewich. Many of our staff have used the Civic Hall car park to ensure spaces have been left available for patients using the Medical Centre. East Cheshire Council’s decision to charge for parking makes this impractical. It is therefore with regret that we will soon be designating the Medical Centre car park as staff and some limited patient access only.
We will continue to provide parking access to blue badge holders, but unfortunately for all other patients parking very limited on the Oakland’s Medical Centre car park. If you an appointment at Oaklands and you are parking on the Medical Centre you will need to ensure you follow the car park signage instructions and register your vehicle registration in the surgery reception. We encourage patients to make use of the other pay and display car parks in the area. For those patients who arrive to the surgery via drop offs i.e. taxis, lifts from friends or family, we would encourage you to use the Civic Hall car park or the Southway car park.
The Medical Centre has asked an external company to take on the responsibility of monitoring parking at the Medical Centre. They will install ANPR cameras around the car park to help enforce parking regulations and issue a £100 fine for any breach of the regulations. This is payable directly to the external company. Any appeals should be directed to the parking company. Please note the Medical Centre will not profit from these fines and we are not able to assist with appeals. Please ensure you follow the parking regulations to avoid fines.
Please be assured that we have not taken this decision lightly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is happening to the car park at the Medical Centre?
The Medical Centre car park will be for staff only and some limited patient parking. We very much regret having to make this decision, which has not been taken lightly, and follows months of discussion. Although this represents a significant change for our patients, this situation is normal for many GP practices in the UK, where on-site parking is very limited or non-existent. The practice has asked an external parking company to monitor car parking, and ANPR cameras have been installed around the car park to facilitate this.
What has led the Medical Centre to make this decision?
The practice has had to deal with parking issues at the Medical Centre for many years. This has become more difficult as the practice has increased in size, with more patients and staff wanting to use the car park, and some people leaving their car parked at the Medical Centre for prolonged periods whilst they shop in the town. At times thoughtless parking has resulted in ambulances being unable to gain access to the Medical Centre, and Doctors have been blocked in and unable to respond to requests for urgent home visits. Staff and patients have also had their vehicles damaged. Over the years we have issued warnings that we would have to take action it the car parking situation did not improve.
In order to provide the wide range of services available at the Medical Centre there are 40+ staff working at various times of the week as well as 10+ Rowlands Pharmacy staff , and most live outside Middlewich. Until recently many have made use of the free car parking at the Civic Hall, to leave spaces for patients, but since the council introduced charging for this car park we have had to provide a place for our staff to park free of charge.
What provision is there for Blue Badge holders?
Blue Badge holders are still able to park on the Medical Centre car park, but we request they use the marked disabled spaces. Once you have parked your vehicle please register your vehicle registration number to the reception desk so that they can enter your details to exempt you from a parking fine this will be for a maximum of 2 hours only. It is important you follow this process for every appointment to avoid a parking fine.
Have you considered vulnerable patients that don’t understand/ get caught out innocently.
We will be sending text messages to all patients and posted notices around the Medical Centre. We are issuing letters to patients as they come into the Medical Centre explaining the reason for this change and the importance of not parking at the Medical Centre. From the commencement of enforcement the company responsible for monitoring are providing clear signage explaining that the car park is for Staff & Patients of the medical centre only and the rules that if breached will lead to a fine by them.
Can I drop someone off at the Medical Centre now and how do I collect them?
You can drop someone off and collect them at the Medical Centre. Waiting will not be possible, just a drop off and then to leave immediately. You can pick up again later. Failure to comply with this will result in a ticket. We recommend that drop offs are done outside the Medical Centre car park where there are no cameras located.
How do I collect my medication if I use the Rowlands Pharmacy next door to the Medical Centre?
Medication can be collected from Rowlands Pharmacy as usual, but sometimes there is a queue, or a wait for mediation to be dispensed. However, if you have visited the Medical Centre for an appointment and registered your vehicle at the surgery you will have a maximum 2 hour period. Please note that after 3pm free parking on the Southway car park only but please check the CEC signage.
Does the Medical Centre benefit financially from parking?
No, the Medical Centre does not benefit from this arrangement there has been a financial cost to the practice to make this change. The monitoring of parking and the issue of penalty fines is managed entirely by the private parking company, and they retain 100% of all fines collected.
What happens if I get a ticket and have a special circumstance?
The monitoring of car parking and the issue of penalty fines run entirely by an external company. None of the Medical Centre staff, including doctors or management staff, have anything to do with the issue of parking tickets and we are unable to influence the parking company. There is a robust appeals process direct to the parking company helpline, and they will deal with your query.
Why can’t the car park be used out of hours when the Medical Centre is closed?
The ANPR cameras work 24/7. The Medical Centre car park is a private car park and is now the only free car park in Middlewich. All other car parks are camera controlled or pay and display. In the past we have had people leaving their cars and sometimes parking overnight, which has resulted in loss of much needed parking spaces during Medical Centre open hours. To have effective enforcement this needs to be 24/7. For practical purposes the community should regard the car park as closed and the ‘gates’ shut when the practice is not open.
Are there any exceptions?
No, unfortunately there are no exceptions to the rules. Anyone who does not adhere to the rules will be fined £100. There will be signage to say that all appeals must be dealt with by the Parking Company and a phone number will be displayed. The practice is unable to deal with any appeals as we are not managing the car park
What happens for Visitors?
Visitors need to report to the reception desk and provide their registration details for parking access.