Some hospital trusts making millions from parking charges

[honeybee13]

From the BBC.

 

Some hospital trusts in England are making more than £3m a year from car parking fees, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests have shown.

Of more than 90 trusts that responded to FOI requests, half are making at least £1m a year, the news agency Press Association (PA) found.

The Patients Association said the charges were "morally wrong".

But many trusts defended their revenues, saying some or all of the money was put back into patient care.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35157425

 

HB

[DonkeyB]

The vulture debt collection companies that harvest the ‘penalties’ when charges aren’t paid is an even bigger scandal. Especially as they keep most of the penalties. As CAG well knows.

[goodatresearch]

My partner works for the NHS, a sum is deducted from his monthly salary for parking even though he can't always park up because the car park is full and has to park some distance away.

[honeybee13]

My partner works for the NHS, a sum is deducted from his monthly salary for parking even though he can't always park up because the car park is full and has to park some distance away.

 

That's seriously disappointing, isn't it?

 

HB

[goodatresearch]

It is disappointing, despite what the government is trying to make the public believe, he's not on a good wage and does work shifts. To have to pay for something he doesn't always get isn't funny. It isn't funny for his female colleagues to walk alone after a late shift to get their car when they should be able to walk to the relative safety of the car park they have paid for. It isn't funny for sick people or their relatives to have to pay to park up. Its just sheer greed by the trusts.

[honeybee13]

I agree, the whole thing is very cynical.

 

HB

[ericsbrother]

the same was published in the Daily Mail this morning. No mention of the biggest player in this game nor their parent company. Labour politicians trying to make mileage out of this should be reminded they had the opportunity to knock it on the head but encouraged this tax on the ill over a period of 13 years.

More should be made of the fact the parking cos get the money, not the hospitals.

It would also be be interesting to see how may people have left the employ of the NHS, local govt etc and taken up posts with companies who they gave contracts to for these outside services. it is certainly a considerable number and to pretend that there is nothing incorrect about the entire system is naive at best.

[goodatresearch]

I had no idea parking companies get the money, somehow that makes it worst. What will be next, having to pay to use the public toilets in side the hospitals?

[ericsbrother]

One of the reasons the parking co's trouser the money and not the hospital is that medical research, charitable deeds and teaching etc have a different tax status so if the money went directly to the hospital ttrust they would have to pay corporation Tax on the money and lose all of the charitable tax relief they get from donations and the like. This hands off approach means that the parking co's are in effect not paying to be there but donating a proportion of income or an agreed amount and they get a tax break for being charitable!

An overhaul of charitable activity is much needed but will never happen as it is a business worth billions.

[Homer67]

As always the BBC report isn't entirely accurate. You will find that the majority if not all of the Trusts alleged to make a fortune from the Parking charges are in fact PFI Trusts which means the money goes to the greedy PFI company and not the NHS.

 

Good old BBC never lets the truth get in the way of a good story.

[Surfer01]

What is annoying is that in order to get the higher mobility rate under PIP, the criteria is that you cannot walk m ore than 20m and then you cna apply for a Blue Badge in order to park nearer to your destiantion. However hospitals want you to walk to the ticket machine, then walk back to your vehilce to place the ticket on the windscreen and then you are expected to your appointment! By that time you are totally exhausted plus you now need to get back to your vehicle.

About two weeks ago, my wife had an appointment at 10.30am, I had another at 1pm and a further appointment at 3.30pm. There is no ways I would have been able to wait at the hospital the whole day as I would have ended up in severe pain and not able to walk at all! Three visits at £2.50 a pop adds up especially if you are on Pension Credit. Luckily this only happens about once every three months that I have to visit the hospital.

[citizenB]

I had no idea parking companies get the money, somehow that makes it worst. What will be next, having to pay to use the public toilets in side the hospitals?

 

Please, don't give them any ideas !!

[citizenB]

Surfer, write to the Hospital administration and point this out to them !