2009 press releases

6th Aug: Local hospitals make millions out of car park charges: Norman Baker

Local MP Norman Baker has reacted with shock after new figures have shown that car parks in the hospitals serving the Lewes MP's constituency, in Eastbourne, Brighton and Haywards Heath, collected almost £2.5 million in parking charges from visitors and staff in the past two years.

The figures, revealed in a Freedom of Information request made by the Lib Dems, show that the three local hospitals have charged £2.47 million for car parking in the past two years. In addition, Conquest Hospital in Hastings charged £895,000.

Eastbourne District General Hospital collected the most of the three hospitals - just over £1 million, including £850,000 from staff and £150,000 from visitors. The Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath levied a total of £900,000, including almost £250,000 from visitors and £650,000 from staff, while The Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton collected £550,000, £430,000 of which came from staff, with the remaining £120,000 from visitors.

The figures also show that the total sums levied from parking charges are increasing. The three hospitals collected £125,002 more in 2007/08 than in 2006/07, representing an overall increase of 11% in charges. In 2007/08, the hospitals charged visitors £305,000 in parking fees - a staggering 33% increase on the previous year's total of £229,999.

Norman Baker commented:

"This is simply a staggering amount of money for hospitals to be raking in. And the figures show that the picture is getting worse, with hospitals in East Sussex charging far more last year than they previously did.

"It is hugely disturbing that people visiting hospitals have coughed up over £500,000 at these three hospitals in just two years. This is a tax on those who are supporting the sick.

"Hospitals need to cover their costs, but we must question whether these massive charges should be levied on hardworking doctors and nurses, and the chronically ill. The government should undertake a review into these practices to help hospital staff and patients in areas like East Sussex."

Notes:

A table showing the amount charged by hospitals in the East Sussex area in 2006/07 and 2007/08 can be downloaded here.

The Department of Health publish best practise guidelines for hospital parking charges. This includes recommendations such as:

1. Staff charges should be discounted if staff should pay at all (some NHS bodies don't charge employees)
2. To have some kind of 'season ticket' arrangement, allowing free or reduced price parking for:
   • Patients with a long-term illness or serious condition requiring daily or regular treatment
   • Relatives/prime visitors of patients with a long-term illness or a serious condition requiring daily or regular treatment
3. NHS bodies are also recommended to have a weekly cap on car parking charges for patients/visitors having to attend on a daily basis
4. NHS bodies should consider whether a sliding time scale of charges should be in place. Some NHS bodies charge proportionately more for the first 3-4 hours; others do not charge at all for a stay of under 15 minutes.

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