Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what financial assistance the NHS provides to NHS staff who have to (a) drive and (b) take public transport to work.

The National Health Service does not usually provide financial assistance to NHS staff who have to drive or take public transport to work.

The reimbursement of excess travelling costs when employees are required to change their base of work as a result of a reorganisation or merger of NHS employers or when employees accept another post as an alternative to redundancy will be for local determination between employers and staff representatives.

NHS employers only reimburse travel costs if employees make journeys in the performance of their duties e.g. to provide care in a patient's home.

A number of trusts operate salary sacrifice schemes in respect of car parking, bikes for work, bus passes and car lease. Under a salary sacrifice scheme, an employee agrees to a contract variation to give up a proportion of their salary in exchange for a benefit.

Some of the NHS organisations offer free shuttle services from train stations and between sites for patients, visitors and staff.