Decisions regarding hospital car parking are taken locally by NHS Trusts and must take account of local circumstances and community interests. But I believe that patients and their families should not have to deal with the added stress of unfair parking charges. That is why I am glad that the Department of Health has published a clear set of principles to allow the public to hold the NHS to account for unfair charges or practices that are in place. Details can be found by clicking here.
I also believe that more could be done to ensure charges and systems are easily understood by people at very stressful times. For example, many only permit cash payments, or force people to pay in advance when they don’t know how long they will be there.
Charges can sometimes also seem unreasonably high, and there could be an argument for imposing a cap, or systems so regular visitors and patients could avoid the fees building up. Indeed, some hospitals do offer season tickets to, say, chemotherapy and radiotherapy patients, and they may have their own cap, but these advantages are not always as well publicised as they should be. Improved public transport to hospitals could help too.
There are some other points to consider. One is that almost every hospital already has insufficient parking. Patients at the Royal Derby are advised by the hospital to arrive at least an hour before their appointment to find a parking space. We do not know how much greater demand would be if it were free, but experience in Scotland would suggest it would increase dramatically.
Another important fact is that the poorer you are, the less likely you are to drive. It is therefore better-off patients and visitors who are more likely to take advantage of free hospital parking, rather than use public transport, or walk, cycle or take an expensive cab. It’s the same for staff: ‘free parking’ is far more likely to benefit a consultant than a porter.
Parking is never free: parking without a charge is a subsidy to the motorist, and it can be a significant one.