On Tuesday 31st August 2021, my lovely Dad, David Allan Wynne Davies, ('Racer' as he is warmly known by all who knew him), entered on to his End of Life Care Pathway, following his diagnosis of Bowel Cancer.  Although heartbreaking to even start to consider him dying from this terrible disease; Dad's privacy, dignity, comfort, pain management and tender loving care, were always at the forefront of our minds, every waking moment of every day.  Dad being on his End Of Life Care Pathway, naturally meant us wanting to be there as much as was humanly possible, before he sadly passed away at teatime on Saturday 4th September 2021.

Getting to see Dad was something we did as a family, Mum, my Sister and Brother-in-Law and his 5 lovely grandsons all visiting in shifts to spend as much time as possible with him and so that he was not alone.  One of the most stressful times when visiting a loved one on the End of Life Care Pathway is simply finding a parking space.  Wasted time, wasted seconds turning in to minutes turning into a quarter of an hour and then half an hour.  Time wasted looking for a parking space just so that I can grab that precious time with my Dad. 

Anxiety building as you go round and round and round, as if on a roundabout searching for that one space and then thinking I now have to walk or run as fast as possible to get in to spend as much time as possible with Dad.  When will it happen?  Will it be crazy busy and I get there and can't park and he's gone?  Will it happen at night?  Will it happen in the day?  Will the person in front of me dawdle and take their time and block me from getting round to that one free space I can see over there? ..... 'Yes possibly'.  These are all fears, anxieties and questions that I had for the entirety of those 5 days that Dad was on his End Of Life Care Pathway ..... there was no allocated parking spaces available for me and my family to visit Dad without the worry and stress of not being able to park.  

I would therefore like to ask if you would be able to support me in my petition to lobby the Government for a change to their current publication 'NHS car parking guidance 2021 for NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts' updated on 1st April 2021.  This current publication refers to reduced or free parking for 'visitors with relatives who are gravely ill, or carers of such people'.  There is NO reference to 'allocated' parking spaces for relatives of loved ones receiving End of Life Care.

Mandatory elements of this publication refers to providing free car parking for those with greatest need and this includes the disabled, frequent outpatient attenders who attend hospital at least 3 times per month (a month is defined as a period of 30 days), parents of sick children staying overnight and staff working night shifts,

Voluntary elements of this publication refer to concessions, including free or reduced charges or caps, should be available for the following groups:

- visitors with relatives who are gravely ill, or carers of such people.

- visitors to relatives who have an extended stay in hospital, or carers of such people

- carers of people in the above groups where appropriate.

After researching what various other Trusts offer to their relatives of those receiving End of Life Care, it has become apparent that despite offering free or reduced car parking, none of them that I have researched to date, offer 'allocated' parking to enable relatives to park and swiftly get in to see their relative.  Time is precious, so very precious and I appeal to you to join with me and support a lobby for a change to the current guidance and that allocated parking for the relatives of those on End of Life Care becomes compulsory throughout the UK.

Thank you for your time and for your support.

Heidi Davies - Daughter of Dave 'Racer' Davies.