NHS Lothian are set to re-introduce a staff parking permit system at an Edinburgh hospital due to worrying reports of ambulances not being able to fight past the congestion to reach the building.
The scheme will be introduced at the Little France campus of the Royal Infirmary Hospital in hope that it will help ease congestion and huge queues around the area.
After being put on hold during the pandemic, giving medical staff more options for parking, the tough decision has been made to re-instate the scheme, starting next year.
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NHS Lothian say the decision was a difficult one to make, but the situation had become "unsustainable."
Jim Crombie, Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Lothian, said the site could not cope with the high volume of traffic on a daily basis and that new problems were arising every day, causing delays for patients and staff, as well as blue light services which need access at all times.
He said: "He added: "The decision to re-introduce free staff car parking permits has been carefully considered and planned over recent months and is not a decision that was taken lightly.
"We have been experiencing significant congestion across the Little France campus which cannot be sustained. It causes delays to patients, visitors and staff and for the buses which are essential to service the hospital.
"Critically, however, it also causes serious issues for our blue light services which must be able to travel through the hospital site at all times.
"We are actively looking for additional long-term solutions for staff, including the implementation of a dedicated park and ride at Shawfair. In the meantime, a temporary new car park to provide more than 300 extra spaces on campus will also open in January.
"We will continue to engage with our staff throughout this process."
The application process has been updated and staff who are interested in a permit are being asked to apply for the permit scheme, which will go live on January 17.
Forms will then be cross checked against the eligibility criteria, which is consistent across all NHS Lothian sites and includes questions about how far they have to travel, how long it takes, public transport links, the times of their journey and whether the role they perform requires them to move between sites during the course of a shift.
Staff who are already in possession of a staff parking permit will be able to use their current permit for one year, after which, it will be subject to an annual eligibility review.
Tracy Anne Miller, RIE Partnership Lead, NHS Lothian, said: "These next steps are essential. The site cannot cope with the levels of congestion we are experiencing. We will continue to engage with staff directly and help ensure they have equitable access to the scheme."
Staff are also being advised to reconsider car sharing and this will be facilitated within departments. However, plans are to match people from different departments, if possible.
