Visiting a hospital is a stressful enough experience without having to worry about the cost and ease of parking when you get there. In recent survey by PA media they found that 86% of patients and visitors at hospitals think that parking adds stress to a visit. This shows that the expensive prices of parking at these hospitals can cause unneeded anxiety for patients and visitors who are worrying about their own health or that of their loved ones.
Unsurprisingly the top 6 most expensive daily parking rates are in London and they reach an astonishing £77 at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust for 24 hours. However, a spokesperson for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said: “To ensure our car parking spaces remain available for our patients and are not misused by members of the public visiting central London, the £3.20 hourly cost of parking at St Thomas’ Hospital is in line with local parking facilities.”
The most expensive daily parking rates at A&E in England:
- Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (London) – £77
- Whittington Health NHS Trust (London) – £72
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (London) – £40
- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (London) – £40
- King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (London) – £29
- St. George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (London) – £25
- Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (Sussex) – £20
- Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Bedfordshire) – £20
- Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust (Hampshire) – £18.20
The cost of parking at hospitals is a serious problem that is trying to be resolved with an initiative for free parking for parents of sick children staying in hospital overnight and staff working night shifts. Furthermore, by April 2020 all 206 hospital trusts will be required to provide free parking for blue badge holders and patients who have to frequently visit the hospital due to long term conditions.
Currently only 7 out of 154 A&E hospitals offer free parking and only 72 hospitals offer free drop off parking up to 1 hour. These statistics show, against a backdrop of increasing pressure on NHS service, that there is a lot of very necessary work to be done to alleviate a problem that affects thousands of people daily.
