I had chemo at Calderdale Royal - Halifax and if you’re a cancer patient you get free parking, by having your parking ticket punched by a machine.
"Hi
Just completed my radiotherapy at St James (Jimmys) in Leeds. All parking costs were free for anyone with cancer and having treatments/appts - a great saving.
Linda"
How? Who told you? How do you organise it?
Why has no-one told me?
I pay each time I go and I’ll be going every day for Rads soon and it’ll cost me a small fortune :o(
Hospital: Royal Surrey, Guildford, St Luke’s Wing
Parking: £1.50 per day or £7.50 per week in allocated parking bays, but not many bays available so you can sit an queue for half an hour or more just to get a parking space. And only if you have the permit that allows you to use those spaces.
Refreshments: not free on the chemo suite, but there is a water cooler. No drinks or food provided even at lunchtimes, for anybody. There is a very nice little caff that does a very good jam sponge cake.
Chemo buddies: allowed. Just as well, certainly for the first one. I was a wreck and I think I would have either hit the nurse or run away to hide under the stairs if my OH hadn’t been there.
Support centre: just down the corridor from the chemo suite is The Fountain Centre, which is brilliant and provides lots of support. (I’m doing a fashion show later this month in support of the FC charity.) You can have up to 4 free treatments from their complementary therapies, and I think you can have up to 6 free counselling sessions. Brilliant. And the sofas are very comfy so you can sit and wait in there for your treatments if you tell reception that’s where you’ll be.
Wigs: there’s the wig lady who comes once a week to the Fountain Centre, she fits and trims wigs. No financial help available for them. I bought a “recycled” wig for £40 that cost the lady who bought it originally over £300! Was a huge waste of £40 though, I’ve worn it once for 5 minutes at most.
Anything else?
Ninja - it was in the booklets I got in the planning session.
Basically the give you your time schedules print off, when you exit the parking you press the assistance button and say you are a radiotherapy patient, they let the barrier up.
They may ask you to prove it by showing your schedule but this doesn’t happen every time apparently.
xxx
Thanks, Kat. I’ve got surgery next before the rads; so I’ll be told when planning the rads…
Linda made it sound like I could have been having free parking before now though.
Ninja - Most places do have free parking for onc patients in general due to the ridiculous amount of time we spend in the bl**dy places 
But to be told about free parking I had to moan about how we were going to afford it - then I was told.
I am delighted with the response to this post and would like to thank the moderators for allowing it to stay.
Keep it coming everyone. Lets help everyone else through this with hints and tips from all our experiences with each hospital.
Ninja
I sent you a PM and then read your other comment.
I’ve only been to st james for radiotherapy and associated appts - I haven’t paid for car parking at all.
When I was just going for my appts with Onc, my planning etc they just printed me a letter at reception for me to use for car parking
I’d ask Pat at reception whether there’s any chance of a refund - you never know!
Linda
Anyone know what the situation is at the Norfolk & Norwich re parking for Rads please? I know its normally really expensive and difficult to park.
Thanks, Jude
Linda - we don’t have the tickets so no evidence for refunds :o(
treatment in Chesterfield no free parking as far as I am aware, will check on next ch day. Got my wig referral and had to pay £61 for prescription as appliances not covered by free prescriptions. Wig quite good and service was excellent had to go to Sheffield for stockists.
Fi xx
Would like to add that at Dorset county hos during 6 chemo sessions I saw the BCN at least 3 times… they came to us, and the chaplain came round too.
The Christie has a dedicated car park for rads and chemo patients. Got a code for the barrier on rads set-up day. Not had trouble finding a space yet, but anywhere else is a nightmare. Still have to pay £1.50 for up to 4 hours.
Just to say how brilliant the nurses are on Rowan - I was there today from 9:50 until 6:30 had tea and biscuits, sandwich offered when I finally finished Lisa & Helen were still there & rang security to let our car out as we had missed the cash office to get the £1 ticket & we would have had to get another mortgage out having been there for nearly 9 hours!
Oh forgot the nurse said to me today they have DVD players for us to use but are waiting for DVDs so think will suggest that they put a notice up asking for donations of DVDs!,
Hi All, I too am at Royal Preston and Chorley hospitals. My treatment started in november so I have been given several parking passes now as my treatment didn’t go down the ‘normal’ route. My onc also referred me for 6 alternative therapies but due to not following the ‘normal’ route she re-referred me for another 6 treatments which is just coming to an end now. I was also fortunate enough to have a preston postcode which meant that my wig was free aswell. Drinks and lunch were provided on the chemo unit and drinks provided on rads unit for myself and partner. There is also a Headstrong facility at the royal preston which gives great advice has DVD’s available and also gives you a free scarf to start you off.