NHS hospitals accumulated over £5 million per week in parking fees last year, with patients and visitors contributing £192.3 million and staff paying £79.1 million for parking privileges. Criticism has been aimed at the practice of charging individuals for parking near healthcare facilities, labeling it as a burden on the sick. Patient advocacy groups argue that these charges disproportionately affect vulnerable individuals and may discourage visits to hospitals.
Unions highlight the challenge faced by hospital staff in remote locations with limited public transport options, especially during non-standard working hours. Some hospitals charge up to £5 per hour for visitors and over £10 per day for staff parking during an eight-hour shift.
The total revenue from parking fees saw an 11% increase to £192.3 million compared to the previous year, while staff contributions rose by 13% to £79.1 million. Notably, these figures surpassed earnings from previous years when parking was free due to Covid restrictions.
The highest-earning trust was University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire, generating over £10 million, overshadowing the London-based trust with the highest parking earnings, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, which collected £3.7 million.
Despite an increase in parking revenue post-pandemic, the numbers remain lower than pre-Covid levels when the issue prompted political attention, including a Conservative manifesto pledge to eliminate unfair hospital parking charges for specific groups.
Recent price hikes at hospitals like Hull Royal Infirmary and sites in Lincoln, Boston, and Grantham have sparked outrage among patients and advocacy groups, emphasizing the financial strain on families of neonatal care patients. Campaigners urge hospital trusts to reconsider the impact of parking costs on families during critical periods of care.
Critics view hospital parking charges as an unjust tax on patients, calling for health authorities to eliminate these fees. The Department of Health and Social Care emphasizes the provision of free parking for those in need and expects reasonable charges from NHS trusts.
The NHS explains that parking revenue covers operational costs, with any excess funds reinvested in healthcare services.
