Hospitals ‘taxing the sick’ by charging more than £100million in parking fees every year
Investigation by Auto Express found hospitals in England have raked in £344million from parking charges in the last 3 years – as well as a further £2.8million in fines
HOSPITALS have been accused of “taxing sick people” by charging more than £100million in parking fees every year.
Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was shamed as the highest earner, making £10.8million in charges since 2013.
A spokesman said the majority was spent on car park maintenance and security, land rental and rates, with a third of the revenue collected reinvested into patient care.
A Freedom of Information request answered by 123 NHS hospital trusts also revealed some charge as much as £3.50 for a two-hour stay, with no option to pay for a shorter time, while others offer parking for 60p for an hour.
Just four NHS trusts in England don’t charge for parking at all, the figures showed.
Some of the overall total includes revenue from staff parking as trusts were unable to break the figures down.
Department of Health rules state hospitals must have reduced rates for disabled people, carers and staff, and in the majority of the cases there are concessions.
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But Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, believes patients should not be charged at all, as is the case in Scotland and Wales.
She said: “This is a tax on the ill. Going to hospital can be stressful and patients do not need further stress by having to worry about the cost of parking or about any fines they may incur.”
Plans to axe the fees have previously been blocked by Parliament, although last year, the British Parking Association (BPA) worked with the NHS to update its parking guidelines.
“This is a tax on the ill. Going to hospital can be stressful and patients do not need further stress by having to worry about the cost of parking or about any fines they may incur.”
Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association
A BPA spokeswoman said: “Whilst many people attending healthcare facilities expect car parking to be free, the limits on space, costs involved and demand for spaces mean that parking needs to be managed. Often the most effective way to do this is by charging.
“Free parking at hospitals in Wales and Scotland has actually made the situation worse. If the users don’t pay for the parking then the trust does.”
Mike Hotson, of Leicester’s Hospitals, said: “If we did not charge for car parking then we would have to find money elsewhere which would have a direct effect on patient care and the frontline services we provide.”
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