Bristol Clean Air Zone - Changes to patient exemptions from Saturday 1 April 2023

Our Bristol city centre hospitals are within a Clean Air Zone which has been introduced by Bristol City Council to tackle harmful pollution from vehicles.

No vehicles are banned from entering the zone, but older and more polluting vehicles have to pay a daily charge. Most vehicles already meet the zone’s emission standards and will not be charged. If you are travelling to Bristol hospitals, it is important you check if you need to pay the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) charge.

Check if your vehicle will be charged

Use the government’s vehicle checker to find out if you will be charged www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones.

Changes to patient exemptions from Saturday 1 April 2023

At midnight on Friday 31 March 2023, most Bristol Clean Air Zone (CAZ) local temporary exemptions will end. Please make sure you have checked if your vehicle will be charged using the government's online vehicle checker.

If the vehicle you are travelling in does not meet the CAZ standards, there will be new exemptions for some hospital patients and visitors in place from Saturday 1 April 2023. These include:

• Regular outpatients - If you have to come to one of our city centre hospitals for a minimum of three or more appointments a month in a three-month period.
• Visitors of long stay inpatients will continue to be able to request a 7-day exemption if their vehicle does not meet the zone's emissions standards.

In addition, for a three-month trial period, exemptions are also available for:

• People who are eligible for support under the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS)
• People attending the emergency departments at either Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children or Bristol Eye Hospital.
• People attending hospital to receive cancer treatment.
• People attending hospital to receive end-of-life care.

All other patients attending our Bristol city centre hospitals, whose vehicles do not meet the Clean Air Zone standards, will have to pay the charge from Saturday 1 April 2023.

Please make sure you have checked if your vehicle will be charged using the government's online vehicle checker. You can find out more about Bristol City Council's Clean Air Zone on the council website.

How do I apply for a hospital exemption?

Patients

If you meet one of the above criteria, please complete the patient and visitor exemption request form or call 0117 342 6364 (Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm) to request a CAZ exemption at least three working days before your appointment. You will need to know the make, model and registration number of the vehicle you are travelling in.

Patients attending our emergency departments

From Saturday 1 April 2023, you can apply for a CAZ exemption via this online form or call 0117 342 6364 (Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm), on the day of your visit or, up to four days after attending one of our emergency departments in the city centre of Bristol. Please be aware the CAZ charge runs midnight to midnight, so visits that go beyond midnight will need to be registered twice. You will need to know the make, model and registration number of the vehicle you are travelling in.

End-of-life care

You or your carer can complete the online form or call 0117 342 6364 (Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm). However, if you need support requesting the exemption, please speak to a member of staff. For visitors of end of life patients who need a CAZ exemption, please see the visitor of inpatients information below.

Visitors of inpatients

Visitors of inpatients can request an exemption if they need one by completing the online form. The discounted parking rate for visitors will also be applied. Discounted parking and CAZ exemptions are available for up to two visitor vehicles per patient. This is available for up to seven days at a time for the duration of the inpatient stay.

Further information

If you would like more information about the hospital exemptions, please contact: CAZsupport@uhbw.nhs.uk

If you would like more information on the Clean Air Zone, please visit the Bristol City Council website.