Hospital parking fees top £1million a year

HOSPITAL bosses have reaped almost £1m in charges from visitors, patients and staff using its car parks in just one year.

It has been revealed via a Freedom of Information (FOI) act request, that the George Eliot Hospital raised £956,738 in car park charges in 2016/2017.

This figure was slightly lower for 2015/16, standing at £830,260.

Having collected almost £2m in the past two years the Telegraph asked the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust what the car parking revenue is spent on.

Haq Khan, director of finance at the hospital, explained that the money is actually spent on car parks.

“Car parking is managed by George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and the money raised is used to support investment in our estate including maintenance of car parks, extra security measures, additional spaces and improving lighting,” he said.

Up to 30 minutes in the hospital’s car parks is free but people are charged after that.

It was back in 2013 that the hospital introduced Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems in its car parks in a bid to ensure that people were only paying for the time that they are using the car park.

There are some exemptions for parking fees; patients attending regular appointments in Dorothea ward, those attending the Lucy Deane Unit and visitors to the ITU.

The news about the hospital’s car parking charge income comes at a time when there have been concerns about the actual number of available car parking spaces mooted on social media.

It is no secret that, in recent years, the ‘Eliot has suffered from serious parking issues as motorists clamber to find a place to park.

To ease the headache suffered by patients, visitors and their own workforce, bosses at the hospital last year made huge moves to create more spaces.

The once staff-only car park near to the rehabilitation building and George Eliot Training and Education Centre (GETEC) was opened up to the public.

Hospital chiefs have said that the ongoing car parking situation is being monitored and it was hinted that the hospital may get rid of the current barrier system on the main car parks, in favour of pay on foot machines similar to those at the Ropewalk Shopping Centre.

However no further moves have been made on the proposal.