£2.7m scheme
Tories call for hospital staff to get refunds on parking fees
NHS staff should receive a refund for the cost of parking at hospitals, according to the Scottish Conservatives.
The party believes the move would cost around £2.7 million and could be paid for through the extra funding provided to the Scottish Government.
Shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said: “It would make a practical improvement to the working lives of NHS staff, many of whom work long and awkward hours.”
The Government has scrapped fees for most hospitals, but charges still apply at three major hospitals built under the private finance initiative (PFI). These still exist as it was judged the PFI contracts, a scheme originally supported by the Tories, were too costly to buy out.
At Ninewells in Dundee, part of crisis-hit NHS Tayside, there are 496 dedicated staff parking spaces, with permits costing £408 a year. The Tories estimate refunding the charge would cost £202,000 a year.
There are 941 spaces for staff at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, at which the standard rate is £ 105 month. At Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, 1,127 staff parking places are available, with the most expensive costing £255 a year.
Ninewells parking is operated by Indigo Infra Dundee Ltd, GRI’s is run by APCOA, while ERI’s charges are set by Consort Healthcare.
It emerged recently that Health Secretary Jeane Freeman wrote to A P C OA urging it to stop “pursuing” staff over parking debts. Some employees had incurred thousands of pounds in charges after being refused reduced-cost permits.
Tory figures show that a refund for hospitals in Glasgow and Edinburgh would incur respective costs of £1.13m and £1.3m annually.
Briggs has called for a feasibility study to calculate the total cost of future refunds, but believes the Barnett consequentials recently announced by the UK Government for Holyrood could absorb the charges.
His party believes the SNP should give NHS boards extra resources to pay for the refunds. He added: “This would be the kind of gesture that would be affordable thanks to Barnett consequentials, and show NHS staff that they are valued by government and taxpayer.
“The SNP Government previously pledged to make parking free at hospitals. Just because PFI deals exist at three major hospitals doesn’t mean ministers can’t do something to make up the costs.”
A Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government has made it clear repeatedly we would like charges abolished at all hospital car parks. We have done this in NHS-owned hospitals across Scotland, but, unfortunately, there are three car parks locked into long-term PFI contracts that precede this Government.”