“A section of Car Park A (100 spaces), closest to the main hospital building (Monaghan Row) will be designated as a charged car park primarily for the convenience of patients and visitors, while staff and those who do not wish to pay will be able to use other car parks around the site.

“Charges will start from 50p for up to one hour, £1 for up to two hours and go up to a maximum of £4.50 for 24 hours. A recent survey showed that 80% of visitors stay less than two hours, where the charge would be £1.

“Exemptions will be applied in line with regional guidelines which include renal dialysis patients, relatives of patients in the high dependency unit and parents of children who need to spend long periods of time in hospital.

“Signage will be erected on site to indicate available car parking and to avoid unnecessary delays for patients and visitors.”

The Trust has said it is working with Translink and Newry and Mourne District Council to introduce an additional bus route past Hospital Road.

The Trust’s Acting Chief Executive, Mairead McAlinden, said: “Daisy Hill is a very busy site and as we continue to develop services at the hospital, we anticipate seeing traffic levels increasing further.

The Trust is committed to providing safe, secure and accessible car parking and we feel that the implementation of limited charging and improved traffic flow arrangements will help improve access to the public and relieve congestion.

“We apologise to patients, visitors and staff for any disruption that may be caused whilst the work continues but we hope that it helps to ensure the best use of car parking around the site.”