NHS hospitals collected a record-high £254MILLION in car park charges and fines last year as probe reveals one in three trusts have RAISED their prices
- Hospitals in England took in more than £254million in parking charges last year
- The biggest earner was the Manchester University NHS, which collected £6.3m
- Almost nine out of 10 people said parking at hospital was a stressful experience
- Private firms took all the profits in at least 23 out of 124 car parks
A third of hospitals in England raised the price of their car parking last year, an investigation has revealed.
NHS hospital car parks collected a record high £254,373,068 in charges and fines from patients, staff and visitors in 2018-19 – a 10 per cent rise on the previous year.
Eighty-six per cent of people surveyed said parking at hospital stresses them out and the charges have been described as ‘a rip-off’, ‘extortionate’ and ‘astronomical’.
One hospital trust – North Tees and Hartlepool – charges a whopping £4 per hour for car parking, while Pennine Acute Hospitals in Manchester charges just £1.
Manchester University Hospitals took in the most money from its car parks last year – an eye-watering £6.3million.
Income from parking fines also increased by 8 per cent last year, to £1,557,749, with many saying they were fined because their appointment overran.
Hospitals raked in as much as £6.3million (Manchester) in 2018-19, with many users saying they feel ripped off, stressed or confused by car parking
Manchester University Hospitals took in the most money from its car parks last year – an eye-watering £6.3million (Pictured: Trafford General Hospital, which is run by the trust)
‘Charges for car parking at hospitals are a charge on people who are unwell, levied on them because they are unwell,’ said a Patients Association spokesperson.
‘We believe that patients should not be effectively charged for being ill.’
An investigation by the Press Association found that 47 NHS hospital trusts out of 144 (33 per cent) increased their parking charges last year.
Some 65 trusts said their car parks were managed by private companies, and in 23 of those the private company took all the profits made from parking fines.
A survey of 7,883 car park users found many were unhappy with the service at their local hospital.
One in three (32 per cent) said they struggled to find a space and 10 per cent of people in the survey said they were confused by car park rules.
One anonymous comment said: ‘I had to queue for 40 minutes to get into the car park.’
Source: Press Association
WHERE DOES PARKING COST THE LEAST PER HOUR?
Source: Press Association
Another added: ‘I had to wait too long for space and was late for appointment.’
And another one said: ‘Difficult to estimate how long is needed. Cost is ridiculously high and length of time needed can be very varied depending on whether the department is running to time.’
The figures – obtained through Freedom of Information requests and public data – revealed which hospitals collected the most from parking over the past year.
In a survey of nearly 8,000 people who had used a hospital car park in the past two years, 86 per cent said it added extra stress to their experience (stock image)
WHICH HOSPITALS COLLECTED THE MOST IN PARKING CHARGES?
Source: Press Association (data for 2018/19)
After Manchester, University Hospitals, Birmingham made £5.8million and the University Hospitals of Leicester took in £5m.
Frimley Health, in Surrey, took £4.9m; East Kent Hospitals £4.7m and University Hospital Southampton and Nottingham University Hospitals both took £4.2m.
Hourly costs showed a £3 difference between the most and least expensive, with prices ranging from £4 to £1.
A two-hour stay at Liverpool Women’s Hospital could cost a visitor £7.20, while someone going to Queen Victoria Hospital in West Sussex would pay just £2 for the same privilege.
Hospitals in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland don’t tend to charge for parking.
Deputy chief executive of NHS Providers – an internal body which represents hospitals – Saffron Cordery, said: ‘Car parks are expensive to run for the trusts that own them.
‘These parking facilities must be maintained, lit well, and secure. Parking facilities must also provide good access for patients, families and staff.
‘All charges by trusts for parking cover the day-to-day running of car parking at the hospital, with any surplus reinvested back into wider services for patients or improving these facilities.’
She said abolishing charges could cost around £200million per year, and trusts would have to find funding from elsewhere, which could ‘impact on patient care’.
As part of their election manifesto pledges, Labour has vowed to scrap all hospital parking charges, while the Conservatives say parking will be free for those in greatest need, including the disabled, parents of sick children staying overnight, staff working night shifts and those regularly needing outpatients.
Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, said: ‘These car parking charges are a tax on the sick, their families and hard-working NHS staff.
‘A Labour government will totally scrap parking charges, providing free hospital parking for patients, staff and visitors.’
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