A stroke survivor has shared her frustrations with drivers who park in front of Great Western Hospital and block taxis from dropping her off and collecting her from regular appointments.

The 87-year-old woman who wants to stay anonymous, has said that this issue happens every time that she goes to the hospital.

A stroke caused her to be paralysed on the right side of her leg and although she has recovered she still has issues.

It means she is not very mobile and accessing the main entrance to and from her taxi is difficult.

The parked cars mean she has to walk even further which makes the difficult task even more upsetting and stressful for her.

She goes to GWH about three times a month because of a spinal cord injury.

She is dropped off by a taxi and has found that she is made to walk even further because of drivers parked at the front of the hospital or sitting in their cars on their phones.

Not only is this the issue but other cars picking people up or dropping people off, often stop their cars next to those parked. This blocks the entire road and causes long traffic delays for cars going through.

Along with having to walk further as she can’t be dropped off directly at the front of the hospital, she often struggles to locate the taxi when coming out of appointments.

She has received additional charges from taxi drivers because they have had to wait for her to find the taxi and then slowly make her way to the vehicle.

The cars often block her visibility, and her bad leg makes walking more difficult.

When waiting for the taxi she said she is often forced to wait out in the rain as she has chronic asthma and cannot be in the sheltered area due to smokers.

They also take up seats, so she is forced to prop herself up against pillars which is not comfortable for her.

She adds she is forced to wait outside rather than inside because she cannot move quickly enough to make her way from inside the building to the taxi when it arrives.

She said: “They are causing a traffic jam and they don’t give a monkeys.

“It is very upsetting that you can’t sit down and wait without inhaling somebody's smoke.

“It is not annoying, it is just upsetting.

 “It is a disservice, and it is a nuisance to everyone that has to go to our hospital.

“Show some respect and show some consideration to people who are disabled and people who are seriously ill and people who need easy access to the so-called main entrance.”

A spokesperson for Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “There is a 10-minute drop-off zone outside the main Atrium of the hospital for cars and taxis to drop off or pick up patients. This is located near the hospital entrance so patients do not need to walk far to get inside the building.

“The area is monitored by car parking attendants who ask cars breaching the 10-minute period to park elsewhere, and we will be stepping up further checks on cars parking where they should not.

“There are multiple outdoor benches available under the main Atrium canopy for patients to use whilst they wait to be picked up. There is also clear signage to remind people that the site is smoke-free, and to also not leave cars idling.

“If any members of the public have concerns, they are advised to contact the PALS team on 01793 604031.”