A dedicated web portal to provide NHS staff and care workers with a quick and easy-to-use way of finding free parking in their local area during the Coronavirus emergency has been launched by the International Parking Community (IPC).
“Wholesome praise and generous support for NHS staff and care workers is all very well and is most certainly justified, but practical assistance is what really matters the most in these unprecedented times,” says Will Hurley, IPC Chief Executive, pictured.
“It is wonderful that so many organisations and individuals have rallied to offer free parking for health workers. However, in the absence of a central source of information to help find and organise convenient free parking, such a piecemeal approach risks inconsistencies, poor accessibility and limited take-up. Given the urgency and intensity of the current health crisis, every effort should be made to ease the everyday pressures on health workers when they are away from the medical frontline.
“That’s where a national trade association has an important role to play which is why we’ve taken such a proactive approach to the situation.”
The new Free Car Park Finder information portal (https://nhscarparking.co.uk) will help to ensure all offers of free parking really do make a difference and will remove the risk of frustration trying to find or contact different parking providers and adding further stress to an already stressful working day. It will prove particularly helpful for any NHS staff and volunteer responders working in an unfamiliar hospital or location.
The new portal will also help to identify parking hotspots where contingency arrangements may be required due to parking capacity at NHS Trusts, and will provide links to all relevant local car park providers.
“Anything to make life easier and safer for our health workers has to be applauded in these difficult times,” says Philip Davies, MP. “However, this initiative from the IPC is really focused on providing practical help and will help to ensure the generosity and heartfelt gestures of support from the industry certainly do make a difference for those people who really need all the help we can give them at this difficult time.”
Free Car Park Finder will be updated continuously to include every possible provider of free parking, not just the local authorities that have received a Government mandate to provide such arrangements.
“This is our way of providing help to everyone on the medical front line and those caring for the more vulnerable members of the community,” continues Hurley. “Creating a central point of information for the benefit of all NHS staff and care workers is also acting as a catalyst for coordinating the offers of free parking right across the country so no-one misses out. We have really good coverage from the outset, but this is only going to grow. We would ask everyone who is providing a free car park, be it a local authority, a private company or indeed a private individual to get in touch and provide us with details so we can help those who are helping us.”
