Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of hospital parking charges for (a) patients and (b) staff by hospital trust in England.

No assessment has been made of the trends in the level of hospital parking charges.

All National Health Service trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking for those ‘in-most need’. This includes frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, blue badge disabled holders, and NHS staff working overnight.

NHS trusts are expected to follow the principles set out in the NHS Car Parking Guidance. The guidance makes clear that charges, where they exist, should be reasonable for the area. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles