200 extra parking spaces for Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital

Bosses say they want additional staff car parking on scrub land owned by the managing trust at the rear of the site.

It is part of a plan which would see more car parking spaces allocated to the public, freeing up spaces for patients and visitors.

In a Care Quality Commission report published yesterday, car parking was highlighted as an area which caused 'much stress' to patients.

Hospital trust chief executive Paula Clark said: "At times, parking is a problem. What we are trying to doing is looking at ways to resolve it.

"We have talked to the council about having more staff car parking at the back.

"If we could get more more staff car parking on site, we could release more spaces for patients."

She added: "However, these are very early discussions and we are still assessing its economic viability.

"Any decision on extra staff car parking will also be subject to a full environmental impact assessment and full planning application procedures."

Patients complain about the difficulty of finding spaces at the hospital.

But the situation also aggravates nearby residents who say their roads are often clogged up with cars from hospital visitors and staff.

Double yellow lines were painted along Abbotsford Drive following a petition signed by every resident on the road.

But a proposed one-year trial of a resident parking permit scheme was ditched after a lack of support.

People complained about the cost of having a parking permit, which was set at £100.

Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for transportation, said: "The council has taken part in discussions with the NHS trust with a view to easing the parking problems around the hospital.

"We understand the trust will be investigating the potential to reorganise and expand off street parking facilities at the hospital site, which should significantly ease problems on the existing car parks and surrounding streets."

Meanwhile, Ms Clark said she was looking at other ways to relieve pressure on the hospital's car park.

This includes an outpatient project focussed on achieving a shorter stay for those visiting for appointments.

Bosses are also investigating to see if services based at Russells Hall Hospital could also be provided at the Guest Hospital and Corbett Hospital.

Ms Clark said: "If we were to run outpatients more efficiently, people would come and go then more quickly and that would relieve pressure on the car park."

She said the hospital was also rolling out free parking for chemotherapy patients as well as extending a discount card for relatives of patients who attend frequently for short-stay.

She added: "There is a range of things we are looking at because we do realise it does create a pressure on patients."