Free Traffic Legal Advice

To help us provide the best advice, please read the following thread carefully and provide as much of the information it asks for as you are able to: READ THIS FIRST - Private Parking Charges Forum guide

A good starting point with any hospital PCN is to contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at the relevant hospital/trust, and ask them to intervene.

If PALS have been unhelpful/evasive then you email the NHS Trust CEO with a formal complaint about both the parking operator and PALS. You can remind them of this document:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

Especially the "Contracted-out car parking" section.

On a separate note, absolutely no one pays a penny to ECP if they follow the advice we give here, even if it goes all the way to a county court claim.

What "fine" are you talking about? You have not received a "fine" or "penalty" of any kind. ECP are not any form of authority that can issue "fines". They are an unregulated private parking firm. All they have done is issued a speculative invoice for an alleged breach of contract by the driver.

If all you are concerned about is the "Mugs discount" that is offered, then you should save everyones time and effort and just pay it, if you believe that you should pay a speculative invoice invoice, just because it ha a discounted offer. Or, you can complain to the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive at rf.complaints@nhs.net.

Use the following in your subject line: “Formal Complaint – Escalation to CEO: Peter Landstrom”. CC your MP or local Healthwatch to show this isn’t a private grievance—it’s a systemic accountability issue.

Something along these lines may do the job:

Subject: Formal Complaint – Escalation to CEO Peter Landstrom: Breach of NHS Car Parking Guidance and Systemic Failure of PALS

To: rf.complaints@nhs.net CC: [Your MP’s email if applicable], [Healthwatch or advocacy group if relevant]

Dear Mr Landstrom,

I am writing to you directly as Chief Executive of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust to lodge a formal complaint regarding the systemic failure, procedural indifference, and obstructive incompetence of your Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) in relation to a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) issued at Finchley Memorial Hospital.

The PCN details are: [PCN ref no., VRM etc]

Despite multiple attempts to engage with PALS, their responses have been evasive, unaccountable, and procedurally incoherent. Their conduct has not only failed to meet the standards set out in the NHS Constitution and the Consumer Rights Act 2015, but has actively obstructed resolution by refusing to acknowledge statutory obligations and basic principles of fairness.

This complaint is now escalated to your office because the issue is not isolated—it reflects a broader failure of governance and compliance.

I refer you specifically to the NHS car parking guidance 2022, "NHS Patient, Visitor and Staff Car Parking Principles", published by the Department of Health and Social Care, which states:

“NHS organisations are responsible for the actions of private contractors who run car parks on their behalf. NHS organisations should act against rogue contractors in line with the relevant codes of practice… Contracts should not be let on any basis that incentivises additional charges, for example ‘income from parking charge notices only’.”

If the PCN issued at Finchley Memorial Hospital arises from a contracted-out arrangement, then the Trust remains fully liable for the conduct and commercial incentives of its agents. The guidance makes clear that Trusts must not delegate responsibility or allow contractors to operate outside the bounds of fairness, transparency, and statutory compliance.

I therefore require:

• A named response from your executive team—not a delegated reply from PALS.
• A full investigation into the conduct and procedural failures of PALS.
• Disclosure of the Trust’s contract terms with the parking operator, including any incentive structures tied to PCNs.
• Confirmation of the Trust’s compliance with the NHS car parking guidance 2022.
• A timeline for resolution and redress.

Furthermore, I request that the Trust instruct its parking contractor to cancel the PCN immediately. I attach a copy of the PCN.

As per the NHS car parking guidance 2022, NHS organisations are responsible for the actions of private contractors who run car parks on their behalf. The guidance explicitly states that Trusts must act against rogue contractors and must not enter into contracts that incentivise excessive or unfair charges. If the Trust has delegated enforcement to a third party, it retains full accountability and must intervene where procedural fairness has been breached. Failure to do so constitutes a breach of public duty and exposes the Trust to reputational and regulatory risk.

If this complaint is not substantively addressed, I will escalate to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and initiate public advocacy to expose the Trust’s failure to uphold its duty of care and procedural transparency.

I await your response.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Full Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Contact Number]
[Date]