Hospital Car Parking Charges

Labelled a ‘tax on the sick’, there has been considerable attention given to discussions over the weekend about concerns over the exorbitant rise in the cost of hospital car parking fees, and perhaps more importantly, the disparity that exists across the country. With the ever shrinking NHS budget, hospitals have had to cut their services right down to the bone. The sad reality is that a rising number of hospitals are increasingly looking to the revenue they are able to generate from car parking to boost their severely depleted funds. There has been the argument, one that I share, that as we all pay for the NHS through our taxes, it is blatantly unfair to then expect patients, and perhaps more importantly, their visitors, to pay through the nose for parking.

As the elected Somerset representative of the Royal Devon & Exeter hospital, I know that they, along with others, do make some concessions for certain categories of patient; cancer sufferers for example. This is a policy that I do not agree with at all. I say this from the position of someone who has benefited from cancer treatment at the hospital. I was able to take advantage of the temporary parking permit offered, and did not have to pay for my parking at all. I believe it is wrong to segregate patients in this way. For any patient receiving long term care, with multiple visits, and those who have lengthy stays in hospital and who rely on the continued support of family and friends, the level of hardship can be substantial. In many cases the illness will itself result in financial hardship, with a reduced level of income as a result.

What also needs to be considered is the huge impact the cost of parking can have on those who work in our hospitals. The problem is not going to go away without radical action. There are a small number of hospitals that do not charge for parking. If they are able to do so, surely the rest could adopt the same approach. Apparently it would cost £100m. from the NHS budget for all car parking charges to be abolished. The official stance is that it cannot be justified. I fail to see how we have got to the situation where we even have to consider car parking in the same pot of money as our health provision.

It may seem a huge sum, especially whilst we continue to plough our way out of recession, but in reality this is not much more than £1.50 per head of population.  Indeed, if it weren’t for the fact that, by default, we have created a society where it is virtually impossible, particularly in small rural communities, to get anywhere without a car, we would not find ourselves in this position. It may well get to the stage where people start to select the hospital in which they choose to have their treatment on the basis of their car parking charges.