Kentish Express Ashford & District
Trust’s ‘hefty’ hospital parking charges bring in almost £4 million
Hospitals in east Kent are the third most expensive in the country for parking, it has been revealed.
Nurses, patients and visitors are paying millions to leave their cars at Ashford’s William Harvey, Kent and Canterbury Hospital and the QEQM in Margate – with revenues increasing year-on-year.
The East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust raked in almost £4 million from its car parks in 2016/17, with staff contributing £1,652,379 to the total while visitors and patients pumped £2,345,366 into machines.
To visit one of the three hospitals, it costs £2 for the first hour and then an extra 20p is added for every additional 12 minutes. There is a maximum charge of £8 for a 24-hour stay and parking is free for 20 minutes.
The Royal College of Nursing says the charges are a disappointment and has called for a “reasonable” solution.
Spokesman Gerry O’Dwyer said: “Hospitals run on the goodwill of staff but hefty parking charges at many show the feeling doesn’t go both ways.
“For some nurses, especially those who work night shifts, public transport isn’t an option. They work around the clock to care for patients and should not be overcharged for doing their jobs.
“They can do without these costs so we need reasonable car parking provision with reasonable and affordable charges.
“The government isn’t giving the NHS the funding it needs but struggling hospitals should not try to make money off their staff.”
The trust says the large sum is because it is one of the country’s largest NHS organisations.
A spokesman said: “The total amount raised through car parking each year is combined i ncome from the trust’s five hospital sites.
“The figure does not take account the operating costs and once these are deducted, all remaining income is put back into the hospital for patient care and experience.
“All the trust’s car parks are managed internally and offer a range of concessions for patients and visitors, including blue-badge holders, oncology and renal patients, as well as weekly £12 parking permits to reduce costs for people who need to visit the hospital several times over an extended period.”
Figures show a big increase in revenue from staff in 2014/15 but the trust has put the 40% down to a review of hospital parking.
It says a backlog of about 500 staff permit applications was cleared by creating more spaces across its sites.
A new payment scheme was also introduced, with higher earning staff paying more for their permits and the cost decreasing on a sliding scale.
Prior to its introduction, all staff paid the same rate, regardless of their income.