I am worried about parking

Parking in hospitals in Scotland is free, but it can be hard to find a space and there might be time restrictions.

This can feel stressful to manage but there are some options to consider. Find out more below.

Or take a step back to explore other travel and parking issues

Young Patients Family Fund

The Young Patients Family Fund is available if you normally live in Scotland and if you are the parent or carer of a baby in neonatal care. It can help help with the costs of travel and food while your baby is in hospital.

You can make a claim as soon as your baby is admitted to the neonatal unit, and you can claim for costs from your time on the unit up to 3 months after your baby is discharged.

The fund is available for all families with anyone under 18 in hospital and has replaced the Neonatal Expenses Fund.

Free hospital parking

All hospitals in Scotland provide free parking. However often the car parks can be busy, and it may be that sometimes you find it hard to find a parking space. Or there may be limits on the amount of time you can stay in each car park.

You could try asking a member of staff on the unit - they will be used to these types of questions. If they don't know they may be able to suggest someone who might be able to help.

You can also check the hospital website as they should have information on parking such as different car parks, time limits and if you need to display tickets.

What if I can't easily find a parking space each day?

If you can't find a space at the hospital there might be some other options to consider. We know some or all of these won’t be available to everyone, but you might find an option which you can afford and which is less difficult to manage.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by parking or travelling to hospital you can get in touch with us for further support.

There might be other places locally which offer cheaper parking within a short walk to the hospital. It can be worth exploring this yourself or if you’re feeling too exhausted you could ask a friend or family member to look into it for you.

If public transport options are available and cheap enough you might be able to consider alternating between driving and using public transport. Take a look at our information on public transport for some suggestions on how to save money if this is an option for you.

You might have a close family member or friend who could give you a lift. For some people this might be someone from their local community or faith group. We understand that it can be difficult to ask for this help but often people want to support you but don’t know what is most useful. You might find people are happy to do this for you.

If you close enough to the hospital you might want to consider walking. It’s a personal choice whether it would help, but walking can be very beneficial both for physical and mental health.

Do you need help with something else?