Visiting times move to prevent congestion

From Monday August 15, the afternoon visiting period is moving to an earlier time slot of 2pm to 3.30pm. The evening slot will remain as 6.30pm to 8pm.

Other measures that are being introduced include changing the traffic flow on the site for staff, and encouraging visitors, whenever possible, to avoid leaving the site during the busy peak periods.

Libby McManus, chief nurse at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are experiencing sometimes quite significant traffic congestion on our site between 4.30pm and 5.30pm as visitors, staff and patients all leave the hospital at the same time.

“By bringing the afternoon visiting slot forward, we hope to contribute to easing the congestion many people have been experiencing during these peak times.”

The Trust has a visitors’ code which includes details of visiting times and other information about car parking and concessionary rates and is available on the its website.

Meanwhile, staff and visitors to the new multi-million pound Selby War Memorial Hospital are also being urged to leave their cars at home due to a current shortage of parking spaces.

A new car park, which is being built on the site of the old soon-to-be demolished hospital, will not be fully open until December which means there is a real shortage of car parking places on the new site until then.

Selby District Council staff, who moved in to their headquarters on the newly built Selby civic centre on August 1, are currently being told to leave their cars at the old building and walk down to the new site.

A hospital spokesman said: “This will remain in place until the full car park opens later in the year, to ensure that parking priority is given to the hospital.”