A member of the public is distressed that the King Edward Memorial Hospital is considering charging people for parking at the premises.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said the new scheme will see visitors, patients and employees pay for the privilege of parking on the hospital grounds.

A spokeswoman for the King Edward Memorial Hospital said the hospital does not currently charge for parking but that it was not ruling it out for the future.

? We are mindful, however, that we need to ensure our parking areas are safe, secure and reserved for people coming to the hospital and employees,? she said. ?We are starting to discuss paid parking with staff and other affected parties, but no changes have yet been made to our Car Parking Policy.?

The woman, who wrote a letter of complaint to said she has seen similar plans abroad and felt that they did not work.

?In my experience the usual promises of ?increased security? and ?better facilities? is outweighed by the negative effects for the users and local community,? she said. ?Primarily, patients and visitors using the emergency department or rushing to the maternity unit who are often already anxious and feeling stressed are expected to find the correct change and spend precious time displaying their ticket to avoid the threat of having their cars clamped.?

The woman also complained that it was wrong to expect people to pay to park at work and could lead to people feeling ?undervalued by their employer? and could lead to a lack of motivation. ?At a time where many hospitals across the world are struggling to recruit for key roles, surely this nominal fee could be absorbed by the hospital,? she added.