Car parking at Royal Victoria Hospital

If arriving by car, please use the main visitors’ car park 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.

There is a pedestrian route to the main hospital 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.

Parking for blue badge holders

The main visitors’ car park has 41 parking spaces for blue badge holders – 37 disabled spaces on the lower level and 4 disabled bays 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 are also four parking spaces for blue badge holders at the main hospital entrance. There is a barrier in front of these spaces. These spaces can be accessed by pressing the intercom at the barrier.

	Parking spaces for blue badge holders
Main Royal Hospitals visitors’ car park	34
Front of main Royal Victoria Hospital	4

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 be clamped if you fail to do so.

Drop-off and short stay areas

Disabled drivers and patients can use the four parking spaces for blue badge holders at the main hospital entrance as a drop-off or short stay area. These spaces can be accessed by pressing the intercom at the barrier.

There is also a drop-off area on the through road beside the main hospital entrance. This drop-off area has space for approximately four vehicles.

Free car parking

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.

If you believe you are eligible, you should speak to the ward sister / nurse in charge.

Patients will be issued with a swipe card to park in an assigned car park, but must pay their original ticket in the visitors’ car park before leaving or moving their vehicle. This swipe card can be used in the car park for the duration of the patient’s stay in hospital.

When leaving or being discharged from hospital, the swipe card must be returned to a ward or department member of staff. The barrier can be lifted by using the intercom when exiting the car park.

Free car parking will be provided to anyone who meets the following eligibility criteria:

	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