Wycombe Hospital has a ‘shocking’ lack of car parking spaces, patients and visitors have said.

The hospital’s multi-storey Car Park 2 was closed on February 7 for ‘emergency safety works’ and drivers are currently advised to use the adjacent Car Park B instead.

An investigation has been launched into the structural integrity of the car park, but Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust said it was not sure how long this would take.

While the car park remains closed, some visitors to the hospital have felt the loss of dozens of parking spaces at the site.

READ MORE: Why Wycombe Hospital still has scaffolding up

“It’s shocking,” said Emma Bradbury, “I don’t think there’s enough space. I don’t even think the way it flows round is good. Even the signage is poor.”

The 50-year-old had travelled to the hospital from Quainton with her father Christoper James, 74, to visit her mother Jennifer who was having a hip replacement.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I was going to stand in a space, so it’s obviously an issue. There just aren’t enough spaces.”

However, some visitors to the hospital like Alan, who was having a catheter removed, are not having any trouble finding a parking space.

The 74-year-old, from Marlow, said: “I was here very early at 8am and I was able to find one easily enough. The parking is better than it used to be.”

He added: “Some people aren’t prepared to walk more than 100 metres.”

Two women visiting the hospital for the first time also said that parking was not an issue, while another two women who had been before said ‘parking was fine’.

But some frequent visitors to the hospital have complained about the provision of parking there.

One NHS member of staff said: “It’s horrific. It’s really expensive. £10 a day.”

Saba, which runs the car parks at the hospital, offers free parking for blue badge holders and for those parking for up to 30 minutes, while its rate for four to 24 hours is £9.

One elderly woman visiting the hospital said: “They should really make more provision for people with blue badges.”

She argued that the small staff car park on the right on the way into the hospital ‘should be for blue badges’.

Her husband added: “My foot is so painful I could hardly stand. To walk from the car park up to the consulting rooms is almost impossible.”

A spokesperson for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust explained that parking spaces for blue badge holders were not affected by the Car Park 2’s closure.

They said: “As part of a routine inspection, it has been identified that there are potential structural issues with the multi-storey car park at Wycombe Hospital, adjacent to the Shelburne Hospital. This is related to the age of the car park.”

They said the ‘precautionary measure’ would allow ongoing structural investigations and any repair work to take place.

The spokesperson said: “The majority of spaces in the multi-storey are designated for staff parking.

“As such, trust staff have been asked to work from home if they can and we have also negotiated additional parking spaces for staff at the Eden Centre.”