A rise in parking charges at several hospitals in Essex will cause "additional stress" for pregnant patients, an antenatal expert has said. On Friday, parking costs increased by about 50% at Basildon University Hospital, Broomfield Hospital, Southend University Hospital and Orsett Hospital, while free parking at the sites was reduced from 30 to 20 minutes.
The trust uses automatic number plate recognition to track the length of time cars are parked.
Priyanka Salamonczyk said she spent £97.10 parking at Broomfield Hospital to attend appointments when she was pregnant, which would now cost £142.50. The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSENFT) said its operational costs were increasing and some visitors would still be eligible for free parking, such as chemotherapy patients and blue badge holders.
She had a high-risk pregnancy and hospital appointments "every other day" in the final few weeks, she added.
From 31 July hourly parking charges will increase, including the cost of three hours of parking rising from £4 to £6 and the daily rate growing from £10 to £18.
Priyanka Salamonczyk runs antenatal classes in Chelmsford.
The 34-year-old is the founder of the Unbiased Birth Club and runs antenatal classes in Chelmsford.
She said pregnancy was "stressful" without parking challenges and her clients were "already really vulnerable".
"Now, on top of that, you now have to pay even more - if you're lucky enough to find a spot - and it's just an additional stress when you're already really stressed," she said.
Salamonczyk added that Broomfield Hospital parking was already "cramped" and that even the 30-minute free parking was a "rush".
Public transport was a "great option" for some, she added, but not always viable for someone who was "exhausted" and "heavily pregnant".
Rosalind Wright spent between £50 to £100 on parking during her recent pregnancy.
Rosalind Wright has had two children at Broomfield Hospital and said parking was already a "nightmare" without the cost increase.
She estimated she had about 10 appointments for scans, vaccinations and blood tests, and spent between £50 to £100 to park the car.
The 39-year-old described the 20 minutes of free parking "pointless".
"I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anybody that ever got in and out of Broomfield Hospital in 30 minutes, so it always seems like a bit of a pointless kind of advertisement," she said.
"Your appointment's never on time... I typically would pay three hours for what would probably be a five-minute appointment," she said.
Some people living nearby the hospitals rent out their driveways to visitors.
JustPark is one platform that provides this service and it told the BBC that 35 spaces were listed within 2km (1.24 miles) of Broomfield Hospital, including six within 500m.
The spaces cost a daily rate of £6.15 on average, compared with £4.52 average daily rate to park elsewhere in Chelmsford.
Natasha Kerrigan, the chief estates and infrastructure officer for the MSENFT, said it was the first increase in three years and some visitors would not have to pay for parking.
She added patients and visitors could also apply for a weekly parking concession ticket.
[Including] patients receiving chemotherapy, people visiting patients at the end of their life, birthing partners, carers supporting patients with dementia and disabled parking for Blue Badge holders.
"We recognise that any increase in charges is unwelcome, but the costs associated with operating and maintaining our car parks have increased," she said.
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Mid and South Essex NHS Trust - Parking
