Nurses sleeping in cars to get parking bay at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital

Wardens from carpark management firm, CP Plus, have been drafted in to police the new multi-storey with workers claiming they are being refused entry while bays reserved for permit holders lie empty.

They claim nurses are arriving for their morning shifts up to three hours early to secure a bay and are then sleeping in their cars.

One man, whose partner is a nurse at the hospital, told the Evening Times she witnessed two nurses physically fighting over a space.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde say the parking strategy aims to encourage the use of public transport, that staff who require to use their car for work qualify for permits and that patients are prioritised for parking spaces.

However, staff say public transport is unsuitable for those who work unsociable hours and that the permit process is unfair and prioritises office staff.

Union leaders say there needs to be a re-think and have demanded urgent talks with the head of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Robert Calderwood.

Sources say staff moral has reached "rock bottom" with soaring absence levels across all departments and many workers desperate to leave.

They have linked this to parking.

Nurses claim operations are being cancelled because of staffing issues - theatre recovery has been highlighted as the worst hit - with several staff leaving in one week.

It is understood that the board's head of service was sent into the wards and theatres in scrubs earlier this week to assess staffing levels.

The Evening Times was told that patients have been asked to show proof of appointments to gain entrance to the car parks, which Union leaders say could be a breach of data protection laws.

One man, whose wife is a nurse at the hospital, said: "Many staff are now arriving two or three hours before their shift and going to sleep. They are sleeping in their cars to get a space.

"My partner was trying to get into a space and before she could drive in she saw two other nurses trying to get into it. They were physically fighting over the parking space.

"Members of the public are being asked to prove why they are there.

"The permit process isn't fair.They seem to have given a lot of the permits to office based staff which is causing bad feeling amongst

"Members of the public are being very supportive of the staff's position.

"The general feeling is that they are just not looking after their staff.

"Staff absence rate is terrible. Theatre recovery is the worse. Staff are desperate to leave.

"Members of theatre staff have left the organisation in the last week and not been replaced.

"I was told that the Chief Executive Robert Calderwood sent his head of service down to theatre in scrubs to find out what's going on.

"They are bringing in bank staff who don't know the layout of the hospital which is leading to operations being cancelled."

Staff say the parking problem has been compounded with the closure of one temporary car park near the hospital, which was opened to provide extra bays during the construction phase of the hospital.

The private firm which owns another temporary car park has been told it can operate the facility for another year. The opening of the new multi-storey has taken the number of bays up to around 3,800.

Planning permission for the hospital campus included a requirement that peak hour traffic flow is capped at 1,500 vehicles per hour. However, surveys have indicated that the number of car trips into and out of the QEUH site exceeds 15,000.

Matt McLaughlin, regional organiser for Unison, said: "This fiasco has been ten years in the making.

"Unison has worked with staff locally to campaign and lobby for a sensible solution.

"At every turn the council, the health board and local MSPs have bounced the issues around and sought to hide behind each other's layers of bureaucracy. It's time these bodies sat down with unison and local staff to thrash out a sensible, workable solution."

Commenting on allegations that private contractors on site are asking to see hospital letters before allowing drivers to park in some areas, he said, "This isn't the fault of local wardens, somewhere, someone high up has decided that this is a good idea.

"It's far from a good idea, it's an infringement on people's civil liberties and could be a breach of the data protection act." "This draconian activity needs to stop immediately."

A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "We have not reduced the number of parking spaces for staff. To ensure that staff don’t inappropriately park in spaces set aside for patients and visitors we have recently introduced measures, including parking wardens, to ensure this does not happen.

"NHSGGC operates a permitted scheme which provides car park spaces for all staff who need their cars to do their job.

"As the changes were only brought in this week, it is too early to say if they have had an impact on attendance levels.

"These arrangements are in place during peak times Monday to Friday. Nightshift and weekend staff do not require permits and can continue to park in any of the designated staff parking areas. This also makes things easier for staff working early in the morning and late at night when public transport can be more difficult."