University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust is reminding patients and visitors to prepare for longer journeys to Derriford hospital amidst improvement works and busy traffic.

It is recommended that patients and visitors to the Derriford hospital site plan their route in advance, check parking options, and allow extra time for their journey.

The Trust is undertaking large-scale building work at Derriford Hospital to improve services for patients. This includes building a new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre, an oncology bunker for a new specialist scanner, and extending the site to accommodate more wards and outpatient areas, as well as making our theatres better for children when they need operations.

As a result of the improvement works, visitors may find the access route to the car park they normally visit has changed or there is a temporary closure.

Andrew Davies, Head of Estate Site Management at University Hospitals Plymouth said: “We are writing to patients with an updated map of our car parks and ask visitors to check this on our website, as car parking has changed over recent months.

“The situation with traffic and travel to Derriford is not great at times and the last thing we want is for patients to have delays caused by finding somewhere to park. This is why we are reminding patients and visitors to take extra time when visiting us to keep their visit as stress-free as possible.”

Parking can take time at the region’s largest hospital, which sees approximately 13,000 patients and their visitors every week and has over 9000 staff.

If you are able to, consider using public transport. The hospital is the second busiest bus interchange in Plymouth and there are many buses regularly visiting the hospital. You can plan your bus journey to the hospital using Plymouth City Council’s journey planner. In addition, the George Park & Ride is free to park at and there are regular buses to the hospital. More information is available on the Council website: www.plymouth.gov.uk/george-park-and-ride.

If you are a blue badge holder, parking at Derriford Hospital is free. There are also other groups of patients for whom parking is free, such as parents of babies who are staying in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and people visiting the bereavement office. We also offer a discounted parking rate for patients who are frequent visitors for one week or longer. Find out more about eligibility for free parking.

Free mobility bus

The Derriford site is quite large and parking is not always as close to the entrance as some patients need it to be, so there is now have a mobility bus available for those patients and their carers that might need a bit of help getting around the site.

You can park in any car parking space, as applicable. Call the mobility bus driver on 07827 897431 giving your location and the driver will collect you, and drive you to wherever you need to go within the Derriford site. After your appointment or visit is over, call again and the mobility bus will collect you and return you to your parked vehicle. Alternatively, contact the parking desk, by the main entrance, who are able to radio the bus for you.

The bus cannot currently transport persons in wheelchairs, but folded wheelchairs, walkers and other large items can be accommodated.

If you have any questions about parking at Derriford, please call the Parking Desk on 01752 432000 or Switchboard on 01752 438000 and staff there can guide you.