The Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to collaborate with NHS trusts to lower charges for both visitors and staff. Additionally, they propose the establishment of a ‘Visiting and Caring Fund’ aimed at ensuring that individuals aren’t burdened with significant expenses while visiting their loved ones. This fund would also provide support to NHS staff dealing with parking charges.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust collected a substantial £8 million in parking fees, the highest among all NHS trusts in the country for the 2022/23 period, as per NHS Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC) data. However, the trust clarified that it receives only a minimal share of this total revenue since most of the car parks operate under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI), not managed directly by the trust itself.
According to a spokesperson for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, a significant portion of their car parks falls under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract, resulting in limited direct revenue from parking charges for patients, visitors, or staff. The trust collaborates closely with its PFI partner to reduce the impact of fees by offering subsidies. Additional subsidies would potentially divert funds from patient care budgets.
The funds generated from parking fees are allocated towards crucial operational costs such as maintenance, security, lighting, enhancements, and expanding parking capacity. Earlier in the year, CoventryLive highlighted an increase in parking charges for medical professionals, with doctors, midwives, surgeons, and nurses facing a rise from £50 to £57 per month starting June 1, 2022.
As part of a Liberal Democrat campaign, data was disclosed showing a reported 50% surge in hospital car parking fees. They’ve labeled this increase a “tax on caring,” highlighting that patients and visitors collectively spent around £146 million on hospital parking fees in the previous year.