PARKING CHARGE SHAME: HOW HARD Our HERO NHS WORKERS ARE HIT In THE POCKET
THERE ARE BIG DIFFERENCES IN WHAT NHS STAFF PAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY
FIGURES published this week reveal the cost of parking for staff at a Coventry hospital and how it compares to others across the country.
The research has been compiled by Gocompare and comes after the government announced last week that free NHS parking has come to an end.
Parking fees were waived when the pandemic began. The move to end the scheme has been criticised by a Coventry MP and Telegraph readers, who said NHS staff should not have to pay to park at their place of work.
The research by Gocompare shows huge differences in what staff pay across the country.
For instance, the average weekly cost to cover four shifts is £45 or £11.36 per 12-hour shift.
But at St Thomas’ Hospital in Lambeth, South East London, workers could be expected to pay £38.40 per 12-hour shift.
At the other end of the scale,
Hull Infirmary in Leeds charges just £5 for a 12-hour parking ticket.
The research also looked at fees to park for one hour.
Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey and Southmead Hospital in Bristol top the charts at £3.50 per hour.
At the other end of the scale,
St Helen’s Hospital and Whiston Hospital, both in Merseyside, charge £1 per hour.
The research found that parking for a 12-hour shift at the University Hospital in Coventry would set an NHS worker back by £9.90, working out at £39.60 for four shifts across the week.
This isn’t far from the national average of £11.36 for a 12-hour shift.
Parking for an hour costs £2.80 - almost treble the cost of the cheapest hospital car parks.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham had among the most expensive rates of parking fees for both 12-hour shifts and one-hour visits.
Parking for one hour costs £3.10, putting it at seventh spot in the list of most expensive hospital car parks.
For a 12-hour shift it costs £15.70 to park, putting it at eighth spot.
A spokesman for Gocompare said: “Currently, each NHS Trust sets its own parking arrangements using private companies to manage its car parks, with profits raised going back into the NHS.
“If staff car parks are available then this is only at a reduced rate rather than free. If the hospital is lucky enough to have a staff car park these are often small, meaning most staff have to use the visitor car parks at full price, which is how these costs have been calculated.
“Due to the unsociable hours, it is not always feasible for NHS workers to get public transport to work, leaving driving as the only option. If there is no staff car park, NHS staff are charged at the same rate as everyone else.”
Prices were taken from Parkopedia.