A senior manager at Ninewells Hospital has echoed criticism of parking firm Indigo and said their mismanagement is putting medical staff and patients at risk.
The Courier revealed last week that parking stewards employed by Indigo to manage Ninewells car parking had expressed “grave concern” at plans to remove a night porter service.
Doing so, they feel, would put night staff and patients visiting accident and emergency after hours at risk.
Indigo say an external contact centre will continue to monitor CCTV round the clock.
Now, however, a senior coordinator within Ninewells has added fuel to the fire by claiming hospital staff share concerns for public safety.
The Courier was contacted by a department head who has been left incensed by the “dark and dingy” condition of car park facilities.
The staff member, who asked not to be named for fear of repercussion, said angry hospital staff feel like “second class citizens” due to the “joke” of a service provided by Indigo.
She explained: “I have complained before about how dark and dingy the car park is and I was told the lights were in the process of being changed. That was a couple of years ago.
“I regularly work at the hospital until 10pm and have, on many occasions, tried to take pictures of how badly lit the car parks are, but unfortunately my phone camera doesn’t do it justice.
“The lighting on the steps leading between the car parks is also often not working, creating a huge hazard.
“It’s a disgrace that, when all but three hospital car parks in Scotland are free to use, Ninewells users — who have to pay £2.10 a time to park — are being treated like second class citizens.”
Another bone of contention, the whistle-blower says, is that staff are expected to pay more than £400 a year to use such amenities.
The senior manager said: “With thousands of people parking there every day, you would think some of the money gained would be put back into the service.
“But there is no service with Indigo. It’s just ridiculous.”
A spokesperson for Indigo said: “The indicator system at Ninewells is in the process of being repaired and we have a rolling programme of light renewals.
“The lighting will also be updated to LED lights in the near future.“
An NHS Tayside spokesperson said: “The public should be reassured that NHS Tayside is committed to providing a safe environment for its staff, patients and visitors.”
