Derriford Hospital's parking income tops £1.2m, latest figures reveal

9.11.52pm GMT Thu 10th Dec 2009

The Lib Dems' Stuart Bonar is calling for parking charges to be abolished for cancer patients, parents & carers of children with cancer & blood donors. He also wants charges frozen for NHS staff.

Income from parking charges at Derriford Hospital is up by more than 10 per cent to over £1.2m, according to the latest figures obtained by the local Liberal Democrats using the Freedom of Information Act.

The amount of money collected from both staff and members of the public who parked at the hospital rose by £129,000 in the 2008/09 financial year, to stand at a total of £1,279,000.

Members of the public who parked at the hospital paid a total of more than £1m in parking charges for the first time. The revenue generated from them was up from £978,000 to £1,065,983. The income from charges paid by NHS staff saw the bigger jump however, up almost a quarter, from £172,000 to £213,017.

Since 1st May, members of the public get the first 45 minutes' parking free, with charges then rising from £2.20 for up to two hours through to £8 for up to eight hours. There is no charge for parking overnight, from 9pm to 7am. Parking charges levied on staff rose in February.

Some members of the public, such as those who are registered disabled, are entitled to free parking. Some others, attending for certain types of treatment, pay a reduced fee. Season tickets are also available.

Commenting, Stuart Bonar, the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Plymouth Moor View, home to Derriford Hospital, said:

"The car park apparently costs £1.7m per year to run, so these charges help to cut that bill. As someone with family members who have been born at the hospital and some who have even had their lives saved by the NHS staff there, I understand the importance of prioritising patient care."

Stuart, who obtained the figures from the hospital, added: "That said, travelling to and from the hospital for care is as much an expense as a charge for the care itself would be. We should look therefore at how to cut the cost of parking for those travelling to Derriford for medical treatment.

"I'd certainly like to see the abolition of parking charges for all cancer patients, for example, and for those who are parents or carers of children attending the Derriford Children's Cancer Service.

"Additionally, it seems incredible that blood donors have to pay to park, even if it is at a reduced rate. They shouldn't have to pay the NHS for the privilege of donating their blood to the NHS. The very least these generous people deserve is free parking."

Referring to the jump of 24 per cent in charges paid by staff, Stuart said, "Pay in the NHS is likely to be frozen or, at best, rise only slightly in the near future. Nurses, doctors, midwives, physios, porters and all the many other people who keep the NHS running are going to have a tough time. I'd like to see the parking charges they pay frozen, certainly until any period of pay restraint has passed."

Stuart is writing to the chief executive of Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust asking him to review the charges, particularly for cancer patients, those caring for children with cancer, and blood donors. He is also asking him to commit to a freeze on charges paid by NHS staff.