Top Five NHS hospitals that have raked in the most cash from parking fees

An NHS spot has been reportedly accused of “taxing the sick” by raking parking charges (Image: Getty)

An NHS spot has been reportedly accused of “taxing the sick” aft raking successful a grounds £9.2million successful parking charges past year.

The sum collected by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust is the highest ever recorded by an NHS spot successful a azygous year, reports DailyMail.

Across the UK, the NHS generated £173.1 cardinal from charging patients and visitors for parking successful 2023/24, on with an further £69.8 cardinal from staff. The full of £242.9 cardinal equates to £4.67 cardinal per week, oregon £27,800 each hour.

Patient advocacy groups reason that these costs tin beryllium overwhelming for those who request predominant infirmary visits and whitethorn discourage friends and household from visiting.

Hospital unit besides emphasise that galore hospitals are successful distant areas with constricted nationalist transport and irregular moving hours, often making driving a necessity.

The sum pocketed by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust is the highest magnitude ever recorded by a spot successful a azygous twelvemonth (Image: SWNS)

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust has topped the database for parking gross among NHS trusts for the past 5 years, earning a full of £31.3 cardinal during that time, and £43 cardinal implicit 7 years, according to figures from NHS England.

Nationally, NHS trusts person collected £880 cardinal implicit the past 5 years and £1.4 cardinal implicit 7 years. NHS unit received escaped parking during the pandemic, but immoderate trusts person since reinstated the charges.

Joanna Marchong, investigations run manager astatine the TaxPayers' Alliance told Daily Mail: “Parking charges astatine hospitals are the past happening patients, relatives and carers need. They deed susceptible patients the hardest, particularly those with chronic conditions who request to spell to the infirmary regularly.

“The authorities should enactment an extremity to this taxation connected the sick.”

Beth McCleverty, policy, probe and campaigns manager astatine babe attraction foundation Bliss told the publication: “Parking costs tin spot a important load connected caller parents if their babe is calved premature oregon sick and requires neonatal care.

“A neonatal enactment tin scope from days to weeks oregon months successful infirmary soon aft birth, and that means that the outgo of parking, and different essentials similar nutrient and drink, childcare and accommodation, tin truly adhd up for families astatine a clip erstwhile they are already nether a precocious level of stress.

“One successful 7 babies receives attraction connected a neonatal portion aft birth, and astatine specified a captious infinitesimal for bonding betwixt parents and their susceptible newborn it is unacceptable that parents are being charged to beryllium with their baby.

“Parents with babies receiving neonatal attraction are not visitors but are indispensable partners successful their baby's care. Hospital trusts indispensable urgently reassess the interaction of parking costs connected this already susceptible group.”

NHS England said parking charges are a mode for trusts to negociate capableness successful their car parks for patients and staff.

The income is utilized to wage for the outgo of moving the car park, specified arsenic information and maintenance, with immoderate surplus income re-invested successful NHS services.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Hospital car parkland charges are the work of idiosyncratic NHS trusts. Free parking is disposable for each NHS unit who enactment overnight and immoderate charges indispensable beryllium tenable and successful enactment with the section area.

“Any gross is utilized to support car parkland facilities and surplus income is enactment backmost into the NHS.”

1) UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE NHS TRUST

2) UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS BIRMINGHAM NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

3) UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS TRUST

4) MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

5) FRIMLEY HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST