The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- John Furner
The NHS raked in £70million in charges from staff last year as seven in ten of the lowest paid workers were forced to pay to park their car.
New figures from NHS Digital show trusts pocketed £70,510,110 in 2023/24 by charging the likes of doctors, nurses and porters to park their vehicles.
NHS staff in the North West paid out the most at almost £15 million, followed by the North East and Yorkshire with more than £14.5 million, then the Midlands with more than £11 million.
The trust which trousered the most was University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, which took more than £3.2 million in parking fees, followed by Birmingham NHS foundation Trust with just over £3 million.
A separate survey of almost 2,000 GMB members found 72 per cent of those working in hospital settings had to pay to park at work.
GMB’s NHS pay claim submitted earlier this year calls for NHS staff car parking charges to be scrapped.
NHS staff benefited from free parking during the pandemic but some trusts have since reintroduced charges.
Rachel Harrison, GMB National Secretary, said: ‘NHS workers have had their first above inflation pay rise after almost 15 years of cuts.
New figures from NHS Digital show trusts pocketed £70,510,110 in 2023/24 by charging the likes of doctors, nurses and porters to park their vehicles
A survey of almost 2,000 GMB members found 72 per cent of those working in hospital settings had to pay to park
‘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.’
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’.
Current guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care says parking charges should be ‘reasonable for the area’.
Trusts should provide free parking for disabled people, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight and staff working night shifts.
NHS England said parking charges are a way for trusts to manage capacity in their car parks for patients and staff.
The income is used to pay for the cost of running the car park, such as security and maintenance, with any surplus income re-invested in NHS services.
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.
