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Improved parking for patients and visitors
Hunter New England Health has revised parking arrangements at some facilities in the Greater Newcastle and Maitland areas to make access to parking easier and more equitable for patients and visitors.
The changes mean there will now be a consistent flat rate for parking at James Fletcher Hospital, Belmont Hospital, Maitland Hospital, Wallsend Campus and Waratah Campus.
Timed parking will be introduced at the Rankin Park Campus only (including John Hunter Hospital, Royal Newcastle Centre, Rankin Park Centre, Area Administration and The Lodge), given the high demand for visitor parking at this site.
These changes will take effect from Thursday 6 November 2008.
Alternatively, visitors may continue to park for free at Energy Australia Stadium and catch the free shuttle bus which operates between the stadium and Rankin Park Campus on a regular schedule. The service operates Monday to Friday between 9:00am and 4:30pm on a 40 minute cycle.
Hunter New England Health Director of Corporate Services James Brown said the new arrangements would make parking at busy Hunter hospitals easier and fairer for everyone.
“Our core priority is to provide access to timely, quality healthcare for our communities, however availability of parking at some of our facilities has been an ongoing issue for staff and the broader community for some time,” Mr Brown said.
“For example, we have an average of 8,000 vehicles competing for 2,700 staff and visitor parking spaces at the Rankin Park campus each day.
“That’s why we have been looking at ways to ease congestion and encourage turn-over of parking spaces so people coming to our hospitals have a better chance of finding a park no matter what time of day they arrive,” he said.
“We believe these changes are fair, equitable and consistent. The changes will be reviewed after two years to gauge their effectiveness in delivering better and fairer access,” Mr Brown said.
Visitor parking rates from Thursday 6 November:
| James Fletcher Hospital Campus | $4 per day |
| Belmont Hospital Campus | $4 per day |
| Maitland Hospital Campus | $4 per day |
| Wallsend Campus | $4 per day |
| Waratah Campus | $4 per day |
| Rankin Park Campus | See table below |
Visitor parking rates from Thursday 6 November (Rankin Park Campus):
| Time | General Parking | Concession & Disabled |
| Less than 20 mins | Free | Free |
| 20mins - 1hr | $2.00 | $2.00 |
| 1-2hrs | $3.50 | $3.00 |
| 2-3hrs | $5.00 | $4.00 |
| 3-4hrs | $6.50 | $5.00 |
| 4-5hrs | $8.00 | $6.00 |
| 5-6hrs | $9.50 | $7.50 |
| > 6hrs | $10.00 | $8.00 |
For more information about parking changes or to view the free Energy Australia shuttle bus timetable please visit the Hunter New England Health website at http://www.hnehealth.nsw.gov.au/parking
Contact:
Phone:
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