One NHS trust raked in a record £9.2million in parking charges last year.
In doing so, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire brought in the most ever recorded by an NHS trust in England in a single year.
More than 71% of the £242.9million earned by the NHS in 2023/24 came from patients, leading advocate groups to dub it a ‘tax on the sick’.
That’s because the up to £4 an hour they face for parking builds up fast for those with regular appointments, and the cost may deter family and friends from visiting, adding to feelings of isolation.
Joanna Marchong, investigations campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Parking charges at hospitals are the last thing patients, relatives and carers need.
‘They hit vulnerable patients the hardest, especially those with chronic conditions who need to go to the hospital regularly.
‘The government should put an end to this tax on the sick.’
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Beth McCleverty, from baby care charity Bliss, said: ‘Parking costs can place a significant burden on new parents if their baby is born premature or sick and requires neonatal care.
‘A neonatal stay can range from days to weeks or months in hospital soon after birth, and that means that the cost of parking, and other essentials like food and drink, childcare and accommodation, can really add up for families at a time when they are already under a high level of stress.
‘One in seven babies receives care on a neonatal unit after birth, and at such a critical moment for bonding between parents and their vulnerable newborn it is unacceptable that parents are being charged to be with their baby.
‘Parents with babies receiving neonatal care are not visitors but are essential partners in their baby’s care.
‘Hospital trusts must urgently reassess the impact of parking costs on this already vulnerable group.’
‘The Conservative’s 2019 manifesto pledged to ‘end unfair hospital car parking charges by making parking free for those in greatest need, including disabled people, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight and staff working night shifts’.
It’s also doctors, nurses and other staff, often working long overnight shifts and unsociable hours at hospitals poorly served by public transport who bear the brunt.
They find it eats into salaries that have already lost a quarter of their real terms value due to rising costs of living since 2010.
Staff were exempt from paying for parking during the covid-19 pandemic, but some trusts have since opted to reintroduce them.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire’s status as the biggest earner is nothing new.
The trust has raised more than any other trust from NHS parking charges in each of the last five years, making a total of £31.3million in this period.
Across the NHS, trusts have raised £880million in the same timeframe, MailOnline reported.
NHS England defends their use as a way for managing capacity in carparks for patients and staff, with income invested in security, maintenance and other operational costs.
Surpluses can be put back into other NHS services.
Parking charges should be at a level ‘reasonable for the area’, according to current guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Free parking should be provided for disabled people, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight and staff working night shifts.
Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrats’ health and social care spokesperson, said: ‘These fees have become a tax on caring for those needing treatment, their loved ones and hard-working staff having to pay to go to work.
‘The previous Conservative government did not deliver on their promises to end unfair hospital parking fees and their legacy of failure has left people literally paying the price.
‘The new government must crackdown on these unfair fees immediately.’
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘Hospital car park charges are the responsibility of individual NHS trusts.
‘Free parking is available for all NHS staff who work overnight and any charges must be reasonable and in line with the local area.
‘Any revenue is used to maintain car park facilities and surplus income is put back into the NHS.’
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