‘Massive need’ for more parking at hospital

There is a “massive need” for additional parking at Roscommon University Hospital, a meeting of the HSE West Regional Health Forum heard last week.

In a written question, Cllr Gareth Scahill said that with the current services provided and the age demographic of most people attending the hospital, “it is not acceptable that patients have to walk from the parking available in front of the Hyde Centre”. He asked the group to provide an update on plans to facilitate more parking at this site.

In response Saolta said, Roscommon University Hospital is currently engaged with the estates department in the development of a spatial plan for the site which will include plans for provision of additional parking on the site. Parking at the hospital, the group acknowledged, “is extremely limited at present”.

Cllr Scahill said that delivering additional parking was one of the most important and easily achievable things the group should be looking at.

“I passed the hospital yesterday and 600 metres down the road in front of Dr Hyde Park, parking was packed out. There were a lot of people walking up and having to walk two roads up to get to the radiology unit and other services,” he said.

He said that patients and visitors to the hospital deserved easier access, and he asked that addressing the parking to be given the “utmost urgency”.

Saolta Chief Operating Officer, Ann Cosgrove acknowledged that the matter had been raised several times in recent years.

“While we are waiting for the spatial plan and any additional car parking, I have really pushed this with the site and they are looking at options to reconfigure the parking that is within the site at the moment and looking at creating barriered areas outside the Urgent Care Centre for patients, for public use, from 8 in the morning till 5 in the evening.” She said that the area was not huge and would give approximately 20 spaces.

“It currently is probably being used by the staff when it should be available for patients, so that is one action that is going to be progressed.” She added that the mobile CT scanner unit occupied several spaces, including parking for people with mobility issues.

“Again, that number of spaces is small in number, single figures, but those will be reinstated, when the CT project comes to a conclusion and the mobile CT scanner goes off site,” she said. “Those are small things, but they will make a difference for some patients in the short term.” She said that a site used for staff parking was taken up by the contractor working on the CT scanner project. This would come back into use at the conclusion of the project.

Speaking to the Herald after the meeting, Cllr Scahill, who had submitted questions to the forum about this issue several weeks ago, said that the issue had been raised with him repeatedly, including by his party colleague, Cllr Domnick Connolly.

“It is an older demographic mainly using the services at Roscommon hospital and in this day and age it is not acceptable that they have to walk down from the Hyde,” he said. “There is ample space to the rear of the hospital, I don’t need a report from someone in Dublin to realise that.” He added that measures proposed at the forum to increase parking would be completely inadequate.

“If we are going to deliver the increased services at Roscommon, they are going to have to address the parking issue. It is up to myself and my colleagues on the Regional Health Forum, representing Roscommon, to fight for additional services to our county hospital.”