A new hospital parking garage in Scotland forgets to include disablity access to its second level

From The Scotsman:

A new 200-space car park at the Western General Hospital has been built without disabled access to the upper level, meaning security guards have to stop traffic while they roll wheelchair users down the car ramp.

NHS Lothian bosses insist the two-storey car park was never designed to have disabled access to the top floor, though they say there are plans to install a lift.

It comes after the Evening News discovered security staff were often drafted in to help wheelchair users who had parked on the top floor.

The problem was compounded at 4pm every day when their shifts finished and bosses were left with no option but to close off the entire top deck of the car park.

Disabled charities and unions today slammed NHS Lothian for the design of the car park, which was built to make up for space lost to the development of the new Royal Victoria Hospital.

An NHS source at the Western said: "People in wheelchairs have to roll down the same ramps the vehicles go down.

"This can only take place when the security staff are there to make sure no cars come up at the same time, and they knock off at 4pm so they just have to seal the top half off."

Richard Hamer, director of external affairs for Capability Scotland, said: "The new multi-storey car park at the Western General Hospital is clearly not meeting the needs of disabled people, which they have every a right to expect it to under the Disability Discrimination Act."

Tom Waterson, Lothian branch chairman for Unison, said: "It shows a complete lack of planning has gone into this.

"A lot of consultation went into this and the parking subject already causes a lot of angst, it's surprising no-one thought to do something about this."

George Curley, associate director of facilities, NHS Lothian, said: "All parking for parents with children and disabled visitors is situated on the ground floor of the double-deck car park at the Western General Hospital. This is not the result of a lack of planning, but was an intentional decision. Regulations insist that a certain number of disabled spaces are provided in ratio to the total number and we took care to provide more than the required amount.

"Parking attendants and signs direct relevant visitors to the ground floor. However, we are aware that signage needs to be improved and some visitors have found themselves on the wrong level.

"In these cases, our attendants are able to accompany motorists to the ground level. However we have decided to install a lift to improve car parking access.

"Signage will also be improved in the meantime to prevent any difficulties."