New car parking system at Dorset County Hospital

The Dorchester hospital is introducing a barrier system with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) for all those leaving the main site in Williams Avenue.

The change will come into operation from Monday, July 3 and will allow patients and visitors to pay for their parking on exit.

From this date, car parking across the main hospital site - not just the new multi-storey car park - will operate using ANPR.

As you enter the site via Williams Avenue or Damers Road you will need to take a ticket at the barrier to be able to pass through. 

Drivers will be charged for the time they have been parked which the hospital says will alleviate concerns about their tickets expiring while they are in the hospital.

Payment machines take coins and notes as well as credit and debit cards.

Parking charges remain the same and there will be a free 20-minute dropping-off and picking up period for those who are bringing patients to the hospital or collecting them.

Prices start at £1.70 an hour - reaching £7 for anything over four hours.

Disabled blue badge holders will be able to park for free and scan their badges at the barrier when they leave, while concessions will still be in place for certain patients and visitors, such as those attending the maternity department. 

Chris Hearn, chief financial officer at Dorset County Hospital, said: “We hope the new barrier system will make it easier for those wanting to park on our site.

"People will no longer need to go to a payment machine to get a ticket when they arrive or worry about their ticket running out, as the system will make sure patients and visitors only pay for the length of their stay.”

If you are parking in a car park without a barrier, such as the diabetes centre, the hospital advises motorists to follow instructions on signs in these areas, while payment machines will be available.

More information about how the new car parking system works is available at www.dchft.nhs.uk/parking