If arriving by car, please use the visitors’ car park at the Children’s Hospital. The car park is marked on this Royal Hospitals site map.
There is a small charge for parking, which you will need to pay at the kiosk or pay machines BEFORE you return to your car.
Allow yourself plenty of time (up to an hour) to park and get to your clinic or ward. The visitors’ car park can get very busy and there can be queues at peak times.
As you approach the Children’s Hospital, you will see the hospital and car park are on two different levels. You can drop off passengers at the front door of the hospital before going into the car park.
You can access the Children’s Hospital from the car park by taking a lift, the steps or a footpath.
Parking for blue badge holders
The Children’s Hospital has specific parking spaces for blue badge holders. The Children’s Hospital has five parking spaces for blue badge holders in its visitors’ car park. There are 17 more parking spaces for blue badge holders next to the main Children’s Hospital building. Please note that demand for these spaces is very high. There are 7 blue badge spaces located in 2 small parking areas across the road from the Children’s Visitors Car Park. Please note that demand for these spaces is very high.
The main visitors’ car park for the Royal Victoria Hospital has 34 parking spaces for blue badge holders – 30 at ground level and four more on the upper level. When you enter the main visitors’ car park, the parking spaces for blue badge holders are in the far right corner as you go underneath the top deck.
There is a pedestrian route to the main Royal Victoria Hospital building from the ground level of the main visitors’ car park beside the School Of Dentistry. From there, a tunnel corridor accesses the hospital. At the end of the tunnel corridor, there are stairs and a lift to the main entrance of the hospital. The Children’s Hospital entrance is 400 yards from here.
| Parking spaces for blue badges holders | |
| Beside the Children’s Hospital | 17 |
| Children’s Hospital visitors’ car park | 5 |
| Main Royal Hospitals visitors’ car park | 34 |
Abuse of parking spaces for blue badge holders
Any vehicle parked in a space for a blue badge holder must have a valid blue badge displayed. Your vehicle may receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) if you fail to do so.
Drop-off and short stay areas
The Children’s Hospital has a drop-off area in front of the main entrance. This drop-off area has space for approximately three vehicles.
There is another drop-off / waiting area on the road as you come in from Broadway up from the small roundabout with spaces located on the right. This drop-off area has space for approximately 30 vehicles. The Children’s Hospital entrance is around 200 yards from here. Limited time is 30 minutes if vehicle left unattended, no real time limit if owner is present in the vehicle.
Free car parking
Limited free car parking is available to people who meet certain criteria. Free parking is for the Main Visitors car park. There is no free parking in the car park at the Children’s Hospital.
Parents or guardians of patients with specific acute conditions who are required to attend the hospital on a regular basis will be entitled to free parking on site during their period of treatment.
Eligible people will be issued with a car park exemption which can be exchanges at the car park control room for a ticket to park in main visitors, but must pay their original ticket if parked in Children’s visitors’ car park. The exemption ticket can be used for the duration of the particular exemption time issued by Ward / Department.
Free car parking will be provided to anyone who meets the following eligibility criteria:
Eligibility for free car parking
| Patient | Next of kin / partner | Relative | Visitor | |
| Radiotherapy / chemotherapy | Yes | Yes if transporting patient | Yes if transporting patient | No |
| Renal dialysis | Yes | Yes if transporting patient | Yes if transporting patient | No |
| Critical care / high dependency | N/A | Yes | Discretionary | Discretionary |
Trust staff will use discretion to apply the eligibility criteria in other situations where the duration and/or frequency of visits leads to significant charges, for example:
- a patient who may have a number of outpatient appointments over an extended period
- a patient who may benefit from lengthy or frequent visits from relatives or friends to help adjust to a new environment
- a patient outside the prescribed treatment categories who has to make lengthy and/or frequent visits for treatment
- relatives who are spending a lot of time with a very sick or dying relative
- parents or guardians who are staying with their sick child or baby
- husbands or partners who are with their wife or partner while she is in labour