§ Paul HolmesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the provision of disabled parking spaces in hospital car parks. [114498]
§ Mr. HuttonNHS Estates, an executive agency of the Department of Health, provides advice and guidance to the National Health Service, principally through a series of technical manuals and design publications. These represent best practice and, through their adoption, NHS trusts and health authorities should comply with current legislation affecting disabled people.
NHS Estates guidance document, Car Parking (1999—Health Facilities Note 21) suggests an overall proportion of disabled parking spaces for healthcare premises, whilst accepting that the number and different types of spaces will be dependent on the range of healthcare services and facilities provided.
The Department also issued Doubly Disabled—Equality for Disabled People in the new NHS—Access to Services (1999). This guidance gives advice on access for disabled people including 'Transport, cars and parking'. To help underpin this process, an access audit toolkit was developed and made available to all NHS bodies in 1999.