NHS Grampian

Medical and Dental Local Negotiating Committee

Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZN
Telephone 08454566000
Co-ChairMr Simon Barker & Dr Ruth Stephenson
Vice Chair Dr Jane Lolley
SecretaryMr Alain Curnier
Deputy SecretaryDr Rona Carmichael /

Our Ref: PAR/1/12

/ 8thMarch 2012

To: NHS Grampian Medical & Dental Staff

Dear Colleagues,

RE: Impending changes to Foresterhill car parking arrangements

The BMA LNC have made consistent objection to the imposed changes to car parking arrangements on the Foresterhill site that are due to come into force in April.

Colleagues who are unsuccessful in securing a permit under the new scheme are advised to consider the following principles:

  1. NHS Grampian has a stated commitment to ‘promote the continual development of family friendly policies, to support staff’. Nevertheless it remains our responsibility to get to work on time.

Colleagues have expressed significant concern around carer responsibilites and getting to/from work on time. If you envisage ongoing problems due to school drop-offs etc you are advised to pre-emptively seek a job plan review with your medical manager to seek a mutually acceptable way forward, citing the family friendly principle to which NHSG subscribes.

  1. NHSG has the responsibility to provide transport solutions to and from your base hospital during your working day.

If you are required to undertake inter-site journeys during the working day you should discuss the impact of the changes with your line manager. Pool cars and the intersite bus have been offered as mitigation. Both will take considerably longer than using a personal vehicle – and you may need to allow up to one hour for transfers between sites within Aberdeen – this will clearly impact on your time available for patient care. You will also need to make allowance for returning to your base hospital in time for the end of your working day.

You should also agree in advance the mechanism to provide a hospital taxi at short notice for clinical emergency transport between sites.

  1. Transit home

If your working day extends beyond the availability of public transport solutions into antisocial hours, NHSG has a duty to ensure you get home. This might involve a hospital vehicle or taxi.

You should pre-emptively discuss the plan for this outcome with your medical manager.

  1. NHSG has responsibility to ensure continuity of care provision during transit

If you have on-call responsibilities, you should discuss the implications of transit times to/from home with your medical manager. NHSG will need to mitigate or accept the impact of your non-availability during transit.

  1. Specific problems will require specific solutions

There are many other scenarios which will undoubtedly arise – you are strongly advised to seek a job plan review meeting to:

  1. Make your medical manager aware of the problem(s) in writing
  2. Seek mitigating solutions
  3. Agree clinical impact and document your concerns

Kind regards

Yours sincerely

Simon BarkerRuth Stephenson

Co-chairs, BMA LNC