Welsh Labour will provide free parking at NHS hospitals for the patients who need it most if it wins the Assembly elections on May 3rd.
Assembly Health Minister highlighted the party's pledge at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend today.
The party is promising free parking for Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy and Renal Dialysis patients; and season tickets for those who want them. Labour is also promising to review patient telephone and TV services available in hospitals.
Brian Gibbons said:
"Labour is and always has been the party of the NHS. People can already see the benefits of record investment in the NHS such as shorter waiting lists and free prescriptions for all."
"Our election commitments include promising a maximum 26 weeks NHS waiting time from referral to treatment but we also want to make it easier for patients to make the trip to hospital and make phone and TV services cheaper so they can recover from treatment without worrying about so many extra costs."
"Making parking free for Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy and Renal Dialysis patients will directly help those patients who need more appointments and who are forced to pay out each time they go to hospital."
"At the same time we will announce a new national approach to 'season tickets' for patients and visitors who are frequent users such as relatives of patients who are in hospital for more than a week, or relatives of long term patients."
"We're promising national standards and national delivery of this policy to reverse this unfair burden that frequent hospital visitors have to face."
"And working with patient groups we will also review telephone and TV services to ensure fairness and value for money for patients. Labour wants to make sure that patients don't get hit in the pocket when they want to contact family and friends from their hospital beds or relax with the TV when recovering from treatment."
"We will also work with hospitals to identify ways in which mobile phones can be used more easily in hospitals - with least disruption to other patients and technology."
I have put an old e-mail but as I use library computers I would prefer a snail mail reply. After a recent experience with A & E at the Heath( following my daughters car accident) A 3 hour wait became 5 Hours resulting in a heafty, astromomic £5.60 Car park fee from a deserted car park at 3 in the morning. no fault car accident, no fault extensive wait, result daylight robbery from the hospital presided over by ineffective politicians! I'm sorry if you are no longer an assembly member please pass my comments on to whoever is. My address is Overdale Wellington St Tongwynlais Cardiff CF15 7LP
Posted by: wendy paxton | August 29, 2007 at 02:23 PM