Free parking for hospital visitors

So the government are talking about allowing free NHS hospital car parking for those visiting their loved ones. Good! Let’s hope it happens. For anyone who is visiting a hospital the whole experience is difficult. Knowing where to go, worrying about getting there on time, queuing up for visiting, taking time off work – the whole experience is stressful and tiring yet incredibly valuable to the patient’s recovery. For the one or two hours a day, seeing familiar faces and chatting with family is a tonic and a lifeline. To charge car parking fees in NHS hospital car parks is scandalous and the sooner they are scrapped the better.

But I’m puzzled. Why this sudden gesture of goodwill when only two weeks ago plans were being discussed for charging employees to park in their employers’ car parks when they go to work? This is planned to be tried out in Nottingham and the whole scheme is outrageous in my view. Are the government trying to disincentivise us to work? I don’t think so! I could go on at length on the wider issues here but this isn’t the time or place.

Anyway, I’m not a politician, I’m a diet and fitness expert so perhaps I should stick to that. Or maybe I’m becoming like Victor Meldrew and just thinking, ‘I can’t believe it’ every time I hear of a new proposed political policy being discussed. Let’s hope that in the next few months the country isn’t messed up too much in a desperate attempt to win voters at the next General Election!