OUTRAGE OVER NEW HOSPITAL PARKING RIP-OFF

Anger over ‘tax on the sick’ as operators rake in millions using confusing payment methods

HOSPITALS across the country are continuing to rip off visitors by forcing them to overpay for parking, research has revealed.

Despite a Government crackdown prompted by a Daily Express crusade, operators are using out-ofdate parking meters which cause visitors to pay more than they need.

The RAC found that, of those charging, four in 10 trusts in England offer no option to pay by credit or debit card.

As a result, customers have to carry loose change and to guess how long they will be staying – nearly always paying too much to avoid the risk of incurring a penalty charge.

Many trusts are believed to be raking in up to £3million a year from car park charges. The findings were slammed by the RAC. Spokesman Simon Williams said: “In the 21st century, it is unreasonable to expect drivers to have to estimate how long their visit to hospital might take.

“Payment on exit, while perhaps not appropriate for smaller hospital car parks, should be rolled out as far as it is practicable.”

Campaign group The Patients Association has branded the overcharging of patients and hospital visitors as “morally wrong”. Trustee Dr Mike Smith welcomed the report. He said: “Our helpline has received calls regarding this unacceptable overcharge, which we regard as simply a tax on ill health.”

Macmillan Cancer Support also warned that cancer patients in particular regularly need to attend hospital so unaffordable charges leave many out of pocket.

Spokeswoman Rosie Downes said: “Cancer patients should not have to pay for hospital car parking in the first place.

“Cancer has a huge financial impact and the cost of parking really adds up.

“We would urge all hospital trusts in England to follow the clear guidance from the Department of Health to make hospital car parking free or reduce charges for cancer patients.”

The Daily Express successfully led a crusade to stop extortionate charges at hospital car parks. The findings came to light following a Freedom of Information request from the RAC.

Some 164 out of the 206 hospital trusts in England responded, with 125 having chargeable car parks.

Last night, the Government condemned the actions of the individual trusts and told them to take action.

The Health Minister Lord O’Shaughnessy said: “NHS organisations are locally responsible for the methods used to charge and we want to see them coming up with flexible options that put patients and their families first.”

The RAC said it was now calling on hospitals in England to publish plans that set out when outdated parking meters will be upgraded.

THE scandal of rip-off hospital parking charges has reared its ugly head again. In October 2015, in response to this newspaper’s crusade, the Government announced key changes to the charges. Most important was the decision to exclude certain people – such as those with disabilities, people visiting relatives with long-running conditions and outpatients requiring multiple visits – from having to pay.

However, despite this victory, the hospital trusts in charge of parking are still finding ways to cash in on visitors and patients who arrive by car.

Nearly a third of trusts that charge for parking force people to pay when they arrive rather than when they leave. This goes against Government guidelines and means drivers either pay for time they do not use or face fines for overstaying.

In a number of hospital car parks there is also no opportunity to pay by credit or debit card despite the fact that nowadays this is standard in many places. While changing the payment system to include cards would not by itself save people money, it would make the whole experience less stressful.

For people suffering from an illness, or visiting somebody who is unwell, arriving at hospital is a traumatic time. They should not have to worry about scrabbling around for change or trying to work out how long they will stay.

These charges are monstrously unfair. As welcome as the Government’s reforms have been, it is about time they were scrapped completely.