‘Extortionate’ parking fees at NHS hospitals in Yorkshire condemned

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Northerner

Northerner

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Hospitals are charging visitors and staff “extortionate” rates to park on site, it has been claimed, as The Yorkshire Post today reveals the fees that have become a multi-million-pound source of income for health bosses.

Hospital chiefs have said that while the numbers seem high, the funds are then either reinvested into services or used to maintain car parks and on-site security.

But it has been branded “a stealth tax” by long-standing motoring campaigner, Tory MP Robert Halfon, who on Tuesday will present a bill to Parliament calling for a new law to be introduced abolishing NHS hospital parking fees.

Mr Halfon, former Conservative Party deputy chairman, said: “Hospital car parking affects everyone who uses the NHS.

“We cannot say, in good faith, that the NHS is free at the point of access if people face extortionate and unfair car parking fees to get to their hospital appointments, go to work in our vital public services or visit sick relatives.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news...mned-ahead-of-abolition-bill-debate-1-8852419
 
Most hospital carparks aren't now owned by the hospital - so that won't work. Neither will spending some of the treatment budget on potholes!

Bloke is hardly being realistic is he?
 
Northerner said:
Hospitals are charging visitors and staff “extortionate” rates to park on site, it has been claimed, as The Yorkshire Post today reveals the fees that have become a multi-million-pound source of income for health bosses.

Hospital chiefs have said that while the numbers seem high, the funds are then either reinvested into services or used to maintain car parks and on-site security.

But it has been branded “a stealth tax” by long-standing motoring campaigner, Tory MP Robert Halfon, who on Tuesday will present a bill to Parliament calling for a new law to be introduced abolishing NHS hospital parking fees.

Mr Halfon, former Conservative Party deputy chairman, said: “Hospital car parking affects everyone who uses the NHS.

“We cannot say, in good faith, that the NHS is free at the point of access if people face extortionate and unfair car parking fees to get to their hospital appointments, go to work in our vital public services or visit sick relatives.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news...mned-ahead-of-abolition-bill-debate-1-8852419
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All hospitals charge staff to park. They even get fined if they can't find a space in staff parking and park elsewhere.
 
I'd be more than happy to go to our 'local' big hospital by bus cos the bus stops inside the grounds are really handy for the main entrance. Only snag with that is, it covers such a huge conurbation it would involve a few hours journey on several buses to do it.

15 minutes - longer in the rush hour - in the car! (and then anything up to an hour to get a space to park in after you arrive on site .....
 
So glad I can walk to Hospital - 5 minutes along a bridleway or 15 mins if it's too muddy and I have to walk up to the main road
 
Its about 6mile to my hospital & have NEVER paid in the car park. Much better for you if you walk. I talked to an specialist who road his bike more than 14mile a day & he was fit through that. My mate who lives in the Keswick who cold not drive & T1 peddled nearly 40 mile to go to his hosp. If staff where that hard up they would sort a way to travel. Bus, Scooter, peddle bike, Metro, Tube ? I regularly volunteer at Newcastle hosps & get Metro there because its cheaper than car parks. Takes longer but enjoy the short walk 😉
 
HOBIE said:
Its about 6mile to my hospital & have NEVER paid in the car park. Much better for you if you walk. I talked to an specialist who road his bike more than 14mile a day & he was fit through that. My mate who lives in the Keswick who cold not drive & T1 peddled nearly 40 mile to go to his hosp. If staff where that hard up they would sort a way to travel. Bus, Scooter, peddle bike, Metro, Tube ? I regularly volunteer at Newcastle hosps & get Metro there because its cheaper than car parks. Takes longer but enjoy the short walk 😉
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Be grateful you’re physically fit enough to do that Hobie because not everyone is of course.
 
Amigo said:
Be grateful you’re physically fit enough to do that Hobie because not everyone is of course.
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I am very grateful I can Amigo. I keep pushing myself & after 51yrs of T1 am in good shape but I hate not being able to do something. That's what drives me. 😉
 
I am off to the village tomorrow & its a 2mile walk & I could easily get in my car but I will walk. Hope it does not snow because it feels cold enough 🙂
 
HOBIE said:
I am off to the village tomorrow & its a 2mile walk & I could easily get in my car but I will walk. Hope it does not snow because it feels cold enough 🙂
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As I said Hobie, it’s great that you can and it would help if more able bodied people went to hospitals without cars but we have to remember many people going there are actually sick and in poor shape. They’d struggle on buses and on bikes even though they’d love to be able to get there without relying on a car.
It’s also disgraceful that patients rely on visitors and visitors are heavily penalised using the car park. It’s £3 for anything over 20 mins at ours and these private companies are making an absolute killing on the proceeds.

I used to work at a huge University hospital and my staff needed to be out into the community many times during the day and sometimes for emergencies. It was a total nightmare trying to park and many ended up paying fines.
 
Amigo said:
As I said Hobie, it’s great that you can and it would help if more able bodied people went to hospitals without cars but we have to remember many people going there are actually sick and in poor shape. They’d struggle on buses and on bikes even though they’d love to be able to get there without relying on a car.
It’s also disgraceful that patients rely on visitors and visitors are heavily penalised using the car park. It’s £3 for anything over 20 mins at ours and these private companies are making an absolute killing on the proceeds.

I used to work at a huge University hospital and my staff needed to be out into the community many times during the day and sometimes for emergencies. It was a total nightmare trying to park and many ended up paying fines.
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I have seen the carparks & you cant get a space where I live. I would use a different way to get there if I worked there & leave the spaces for people who needed them. My relative unfortunately passed away & I took my parents to the hosp & had to pay a lot for carpark which used to be free but had people where shopping cars in. Families have more than two cars each & will not walk 3ft to get there Sunday paper 🙂
 
Mine you can use one of the Park and R
HOBIE said:
I have seen the carparks & you cant get a space where I live. I would use a different way to get there if I worked there & leave the spaces for people who needed them. My relative unfortunately passed away & I took my parents to the hosp & had to pay a lot for carpark which used to be free but had people where shopping cars in. Families have more than two cars each & will not walk 3ft to get there Sunday paper 🙂
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Many staff start early and finish late so driving is often the only way. Not all hospitals are central or have good bus services, to the areas they serve.
 
HOBIE said:
There is always a way to get there grovesy 🙂
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No there isn’t Hobie, not if you’re very elderly, infirm, physically disabled or in the midst of chemo. I think we’ve forgotten what hospitals are for and now allow private companies to make obscene amounts of money out of the car parks without ploughing it back into hospital services.
I’d like to see a nominal charge for parking but for most of the money to be used for hospital services or at least car park safety and maintenance.
 
Car parking in Scottish hospitals is free. Not much more to say, really.
 
Charging people to use hospital carparks in just a total obscenity in my opinion, plain and simple.
It is a cash cow and a stealth tax on people who are ill and many seirously ill.
I would like to know actually just how much it costs hopitals to administer these carparks and how much these private operators are making from this.
I would like to see a set of accounts for the carparks and a profit and loss statement. Then I would like to see where and how the earnng from these parking facilities are spent.
 
My mate who has just passed away & was one of the longest living Heart transplant patients from the Freeman hosp went by himself for years. I don't know if you have ever been to the Freeman. A fantastic big hosp but to get parked ? He was also T2. Another lady in our Duk group gets in her electric wheel chair & travels more than 6mile. Determination helps because she can only walk 10ft also on dialyses.
 
Terrific hospital Hobie but a B^££@* to get parked in
 
Vince_UK said:
Charging people to use hospital carparks in just a total obscenity in my opinion, plain and simple.
It is a cash cow and a stealth tax on people who are ill and many seirously ill.
I would like to know actually just how much it costs hopitals to administer these carparks and how much these private operators are making from this.
I would like to see a set of accounts for the carparks and a profit and loss statement. Then I would like to see where and how the earnng from these parking facilities are spent.
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Here you are Vince;

https://www.theguardian.com/society...et-more-money-than-ever-from-car-park-charges

Here’s an example of private companies benefiting from this;

‘In the capital, London North West Healthcare NHS trust made £968,170 in car park charges, but a further £1.26m was kept by the private firm Apcoa under a private finance initiative (PFI) contract.

The trust made £28,449 from car parking fines and the private firm kept a further £25,990 in fines in 2015/16. Over four years, Apcoa has kept £167,357 in fines under the terms of the PFI contract.’

Obscene! 😡
 
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