geezer466 wrote:
In 2009 the NHS were making over £110 Million a year from parking charges.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7913395.stmQuote:
The NHS in England makes at least £110m a year from car parking charges, figures show.
Patients and their visitors paid out £83.1m in 2007-8 to park at NHS buildings, including hospitals. Staff also handed over more than £27m.
The true income is also likely to be higher as 68 out of nearly 570 trusts did not provide data.
In principle I think Hospital parking charges are just morally wrong full stop.
If I have to go to a hospital either as a patient, or as someone visiting a patient, it is for a specific reason, often in quite worrying or traumatic circumstances. The added concern of trying to make sure you have the correct change ( the machines don't give change if you overpay ), or having to factor in whether you might be clamped or ticketed should not come into it.
If they have to charge for parking at all, then they should at least do it on a fair basis. The wages spent on paying a parking attendant to patrol the car parks could be spent on paying that same person to man an exit gate where you are charged for the ACTUAL amount of time spent in the car park, rather than the spurious 2-12 hour timescale they impose.
I accept the fact I will be charged to park in shopping centres, tourists attractions, town centres etc, but I have a choice. I can choose whether I want to visit them or not. I have no such choice when it comes to hospitals. I HAVE to be there for a reason.
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