Charter to help staff in fight for free car parking
HOSPITAL bosses are facing new calls to abolish parking charges for staff who fork out hundreds of pounds a year in permits and fees.
An NHS car parking charter to be launched tomorrow urges hospital trusts to scrap the rip-off charges within two years and make on-site parking free for all night shift workers immediately.
The move comes amid rising anger over huge profits made by private firms from NHS parking contracts.
As well as charging for parking, hospital trusts in England raked in nearly £150million from patients, staff and visitors in parking tickets and fines last year. And a third of trusts increased their charges, some as much as £4 for one hour.
The 10-point charter, unveiled at health union Unison’s annual conference in Brighton, says hospitals should provide emergency bays for on-call staff so they can park for free.
If charges cannot be abolished immediately, Unison says they should be “affordable” and consistent across trust sites by charging a sliding scale so staff earning less pay less.
Unison head of health Sara Gorton said: “NHS staff are being fleeced.
“These parking charges are an extra tax on wages. Getting a bus or train isn’t an option if you start work in the early hours.
“Staff aren’t even guaranteed a space.”