Call to end hospital car park charges
HEALTH: Ministers resisted pressure to scrap hospital parking charges after being urged to end the “stealth tax” which saw patients fork out more than £174m last year.
MPs called for reform during a Commons debate in which warnings were made that the charges disproportionately hit sick and vulnerable people.
MINISTERS RESISTED pressure to scrap hospital parking charges after being urged to end the “stealth tax” which saw patients fork out more than £174m last year.
MPs called for reform during a Commons debate in which warnings were made that the charges disproportionately hit sick and vulnerable people.
Conservative Robert Halfon, backed by MPs from across the parties, secured yesterday’s debate. He said: “Research has shown that cancer patients and patients of premature babies face the greatest financial consequences.”
Health Minister Steve Barclay said scrapping the fees was desirable, but could have unintended consequences.
“I have to say I am incredibly disappointed with his response today,” said Mr Halfon at the end of the debate. “I just urge him strongly to relook at this issue and actually realise that there is a cross-party consensus in this House, and there are many members on our side of the House who want this situation changed.”
Latest figures show the total amount charged by NHS hospitals rose by six per cent between 2015-16 and last year.
In Yorkshire, the highest amount collected from parking charges in 2016-17 was by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, at £3.7m. Some patients were entitled to exemptions, including people having cancer treatment and parents of children staying overnight.
Leeds was followed by the £3m made by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Calderdale and Huddersfield and North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trusts, which both brought in £2.2m each last year. York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust collected £1.96m.
The debate heard how NHS staff were affected by having to park at work. Tory former Minister Sir Mike Penning said: “It’s a regressive tax. And for the staff to be taxed even more to be able to go to work in their very difficult shift patterns that the NHS staff have is even more of a regressive tax for them and that’s frankly completely unacceptable.”
MPs also raised concerns that monies collected were going to private parking firms or the owners of hospital private finance initiative (PFI) schemes.
Earlier, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn reiterated his party’s commitment to scrapping parking charges. He said: “It’s fundamentally wrong that outpatients, NHS workers and those visiting their loved ones are being forced to pay a tax on sickness.”
Daniel Reynolds from NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said if charges were scrapped, the money would still have to be found from elsewhere.
He said: “We understand why this can be so frustrating for patients and NHS trusts do their best to minimise these charges.
“For example, concessions are often offered to people with disabilities and other conditions.”