Cancer patient hit with £680 in parking charges
BBCA man having cancer treatment says he is being chased by debt collectors after running up £680 in charges while attending hospital appointments.
Jeremy Whaley, 76, from Alton, Hampshire, received four parking notices at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth after his free exemption expired.
Parking firm Parkshield rejected his appeal and added more fees, but the hospital trust said it had now asked for all the charges to be cancelled.
It also said it was sorry Whaley "felt the process was not as clear as it should have been", while Parkshield said it always cancelled charges when given a valid exemption certificate.
"I don't feel it's right that they should be harassing anybody who is ill," Whaley said.
He was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in February and has since undergone chemotherapy and a procedure to remove part of his oesophagus.
Whaley is now on a second round of chemotherapy and has at least three appointments every fortnight.
When his treatment began, he was given an exemption form to park for free, but it expired in May without his knowledge, and he received notices for four treatment days.
He said hospital staff told him the original exemption had expired and he would need daily ones, advising him to show the parking company his treatment record.
Whaley said Parkshield refused his appeal, saying he needed a hospital ticket, which was not possible to acquire as they are not backdated.
"The clinical side of the hospital is so good, so caring, and then all of a sudden you get smacked in the face by a parking company," he said.
He said the system was "very confusing" and that it had affected his physical and mental health.
Sian Robinson-Brown, from Macmillan's Support Line, said: "Receiving a large parking fine while attending hospital for cancer treatment is the last thing anyone should have to worry about."
A spokesperson for Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust said patients having ongoing cancer treatment could get passes to park for free for a set period, issued by the department or ward providing their care.
The trust said it would work with its teams to ensure patients received "clear information" about parking passes.
Parkshield said exemptions were issued by the hospital, not the company, and anyone with questions about their eligibility should contact the hospital.