Hospital asks Park Shield to cancel cancer patient's £680 parking charges
Jeremy Whaley, a cancer patient from Alton, faces £680 in parking charges at Queen Alexandra Hospital; the hospital has asked Park Shield to cancel them.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A cancer patient from Hampshire has been left facing £680 in parking charges while attending hospital appointments for treatment. Jeremy Whaley, from Alton, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in February after investigations into chest pains.
He has had chemotherapy and an esophagectomy, in which part of his esophagus was removed. He is now back on chemotherapy to mop up whatever is left. His treatment means regular trips to Queen Alexandra Hospital. He said he has a minimum of three appointments every fortnight for the chemotherapy side of things and is still having appointments with surgeons.
When Mr Whaley started his initial treatment, he was given a block exemption form to enable him to park for free at the hospital. That changed in May. He received four penalty notices for treatment dates on 19, 20, 21 and 27 May this year. He appealed to Park Shield Limited, which runs the hospital parking, but the appeal was rejected and additional fees were added. The total now stands at £680.
Mr Whaley said he went to the hospital immediately and was told the original exemption had expired and that he needed daily ones. He said the parking company refused his appeal because he needed a hospital ticket, which he said was impossible to get because they do not backdate them.
He described the situation as beyond belief. He praised the clinical side of the hospital as good and caring but said being hit by a parking company was hard to take, especially when going in for treatment.
Park Shield Collections Limited said it will always cancel any issued PCN on receipt of a valid exemption or concession certificate and will cancel any enforcement action against a motorist holding the exemption without exception.
A spokesperson for the hospital said it was sorry that Mr. Whaley felt the process was not as clear as it should have been. The hospital said it would work with teams to ensure patients receive clear information. It has also requested that Park Shield cancel the charges. The development was described as welcome news for Mr Whaley.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Jeremy Whaley was issued four penalty notices linked to treatment dates on 19, 20, 21 and 27 May this year. | |
| Jeremy Whaley's appeal to Park Shield Limited was rejected, and additional fees brought the total to £680. | |
| The hospital asked Park Shield to cancel the charges. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The coverage leads with the personal and health impact on Jeremy Whaley, a local cancer patient, and frames the charges as a financial and emotional burden during treatment. It contrasts the quality of clinical care with the actions of the private parking operator, and closes with the hospital's apology and request to cancel the charges. It includes responses from Park Shield and the hospital but does not widen out to hospital parking policy or other patients.
- “It's just really beyond belief, to be honest.”
- “The clinical side of the hospital is so good, so caring, and then all of a sudden you get smacked in the face by a parking company.”
- “we are sorry that Mr. Whaley felt the process was not as clear as it should have been.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.