Quarter of hospitals increase parking charges in last two years

At least one in four NHS trusts in England raised the cost of parking for either patients, staff or both in the two years to March 2024, according to new research.

The increases were attacked by a patients' charity as unfairly penalising people who are unwell, while health experts said hospitals trusts are "under huge financial pressure" and cannot afford to maintain car parks free of charge.

Some 37 trusts - 25% of the 147 in England - said they had raised the price of parking at some point between April 2022 and March 2024, according to data compiled by the PA news agency from Freedom of Information requests.

While 122 of the 147 trusts responded to the FoI request, 25 did not, meaning the actual number who upped their charges may be higher.

There were 65 trusts - 44% of the 147 in England - who said there had been no increases during the two-year period.

Parking fees for hospital staff in England were waived in July 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but this temporary measure ended on March 31 2022.

At the time, the Department of Health and Social Care said the change had cost around £130 million over two years.

Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, said: "NHS trusts - most of whom are under huge financial pressure - just couldn't afford to maintain car parks without charging people to use them.

"The last thing trusts want to do is have to divert money away from patient services.

"City centre and urban hospital car parks where spaces are in great demand are a particular challenge."

The majority of trusts who upped their tariffs during the period did so for patients and visitors.

Short stays - usually of between 10 minutes and 40 minutes - remained free at around a third of the trusts who said they had increased charges.

A number applied increases at some, but not all, hospital sites in the trust.

For example, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust increased tariffs increased by 20p per hourly session at Hinchingbrooke Hospital and Peterborough City Hospital, but charges were not increased at Stamford & Rutland Hospital.

Some of the trusts that re-introduced charges for staff based the amounts on salary.

One example is Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which did not increase charges for patients during the period, but changed its staff charging structure, meaning some worker tariffs increased and others were reduced.

Band seven staff and above - the highest earners - were charged more for permits, while prices decreased for those on bands two to six.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Hospital car park charges are the responsibility of individual NHS trusts, however any charges must be reasonable and in line with the local area.

"Free parking is available for all NHS staff who work overnight."

However, Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, a charity supporting the interests of all patients and their families, claims charges "unfairly penalise" unwell people.

"With car parking charges increasing again this year at many NHS hospital sites, patients and their families are facing an even greater financial strain," she said.

"The ongoing cost-of-living crisis is already pushing many households to the brink, and these charges unfairly penalise people simply for being unwell and needing access to essential healthcare.

"While parking fees continue to provide important revenue for hospitals during a period of significant financial strain, it is vital that any additional NHS funding is focused on improving patient care.

"Patients are still enduring undignified and unsafe conditions in overcrowded hospitals, which must remain the priority over other concerns, including parking charges.

"In addition, the considerable profits generated by parking schemes raise serious questions about whether hospitals are receiving a fair share of this income, particularly when financial pressures are directly affecting the quality of care patients receive."

It comes as separate analysis of NHS figures by trade union the GMB found healthcare staff in England paid around £70.5 million to park at work in 2023/24.

It called on the Government and the NHS to "scrap" parking charges for staff.

Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, said: "NHS workers have had their first above inflation pay rise after almost 15 years of cuts.

"They've suffered rocketing workloads, chronic understaffing and the fallout from a global pandemic.

"Health workers are on their knees - they need help and support. Charging them to park is kicking them while they are down.

"GMB calls on the Government and NHS employers to do the right thing and scrap staff car parking charges."

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