NHS staff continue to get free hospital parking...for now

STAFF working at hospitals in Burton and Derby will still get free parking for the time being, NHS bosses have said.

The Government said the perk for frontline staff would end in all but “certain circumstances” once the coronavirus pandemic began to ease.

Now the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust has said staff at all of its five hospitals, including the Queen’s Hospital in Burton, are still getting free parking.

The trust is waiting for guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care before any changes will be made, said a spokesman.

Krishna Kallianpur, the trust’s interim chief nurse, said: “The way our staff have responded to this unprecedented challenge has been nothing short of incredible, so we’ve been really pleased to be able to introduce a number of initiatives to make their job just a little bit easier.

“One way that we have been able to do this is by offering all of our colleagues across our five hospitals free food and drink during their shifts,

while we have also provided free onsite parking for our people.

“The decision to continue to provide free parking for NHS staff was made by the Department of Health and Social Care, so we are currently awaiting national guidance.”

It was announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock on March 25 that the Government would cover car parking costs for hospital staff, who he said were “going above and beyond every day”.

But the Department of Health has said the free parking will continue only for “key patient groups and NHS staff in certain circumstances” as the pandemic eases, although no further timeline has been given.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has said to reintroduce charges while the virus is still being fought would be “a rebuff to the immense efforts of staff across the country and the sacrifices they have made to keep others safe”.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chairman, said: “The BMA has always believed that it is unacceptable for staff who serve in our health service to be required to pay significant amounts of money to park their car in hospital grounds.

“This is even more salient as the nation recognises the immeasurable contribution

of healthcare workers in fighting this pandemic.

“The Government’s decision to waive parking charges during Covid19 was a welcome announcement, but to reinforce them, before we’ve even won the fight against this virus, is a rebuff to the immense efforts of staff across the country and the sacrifices they have made to keep others safe.”

A spokeswoman for the department said: “We want to make sure NHS staff can travel safely to work during the pandemic, which is why we requested that the NHS make parking free for staff, and that local authorities do the same with their car parks.

“When the pandemic begins to ease, the NHS will continue to provide free hospital car parking to key patient groups and NHS staff in certain circumstances. We will provide further updates on this in due course.”

Queen’s Hospital, Burton