Camden News: Ambulance | Clamp | Royal Free Hospital | Mandela Street | Joan George

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Camden News - by DAN CARRIER
Published: 20 November 2008

The Royal Free Hospital’s ambulance, driven by Joan George was clamped in Mandela Street

Clamped! The ambulance hit while waiting at kidney clinic

Royal Free health workers stunned and outraged by ‘completely unreasonable’ actions

A PRIVATE clamping firm last night (Wednesday) defended its ruthless decision to clamp an ambulance while its driver helped a seriously ill patient into a hospital clinic.
Health workers were left stunned when the ambulance from the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead was clamped outside a kidney dialysis unit in Mandela Street, Camden Town, on Thursday afternoon.
Digital tracking shows the driver Joan George had left the ambulance for just one minute to help a patient into the clinic.
When she returned, the yellow clamp was already being locked to the wheel.
Ambulances are currently making around 20 trips a day to the unit because the Royal Free’s usual renal clinic at the hospital’s main site in Pond Street, Hampstead, is being refurbished.
Ms George said: “I was wearing my uniform and the vehicle is clearly an ambulance – it has the words written down the side, as well as Royal Free NHS Trust. It could not be clearer.”
Wardens refused to listen to her pleas and said they would only remove the clamp if she paid a fine of more than £200.
Ambulance manager Clem Fraser, who contacted the company and asked for a refund which has since been refused, said: “Our driver simply pulled in and helped the patient out of the vehicle.
“It took no time at all – we have vehicle tracking equipment and can prove she pulled in at 12.38pm. The ticket and clamp was put on at 12.39pm – they gave us one minute to help a seriously ill person into a hospital unit for treatment.
“They refused outright to stop putting the clamp on. This is just crazy.”
A spokesman for private clamping company London Parking Control Limited said yesterday that there would be no refund, insisting that there were clear signs warning drivers not to park.
He said the ambulance counted as a “private vehicle”.
The spokesman added: “We have been having major problems with the patient transport vehicles that park in the particular space where the vehicle was clamped. We have also been made aware that the NHS unit was offered this bay years ago.
“Private ambulances are not exempt from parking fines and the drivers often abuse the fact that the vehicle says ambulance.
“Newspapers will always write negative things about clamping companies but imagine it was your bay at home and somebody parked in it – what would you do?”
But Mr Fraser warned the incident could have led to delays in getting transport to other patients. “This was completely unreasonable behaviour,” he added.

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