The Isle of Wight NHS Trust has confirmed that it will be reintroducing car parking charges for patients and visitors at St Mary’s Hospital.
To help with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK Government supported NHS Trusts by providing funding for free parking for staff, patients and visitors. This funding has now ended.
As a result, charges will be applicable again from Wednesday 1st June 2022. However, parking charges for staff only spaces won’t resume until Friday 1st July.
Joe Smyth, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Estates said:
“We are pleased that free parking was made available for the first 2 years of the pandemic, as a small way to make a difference for those using our services.
“Charges are being reintroduced to support the security service and maintenance of our car parks. However, we will continue to have concessions in place for frequent users of the hospital and other healthcare locations on the St. Mary’s site including regular visitors being able to park for free if their loved one is in our care for over 4 weeks.”
Car parking charges will remain at 2020 prices. Daily parking at the St. Mary’s Hospital site ranges from £1.40 for up to 2 hours to £6.50 for the day, with tickets being purchased at the pay-and-display machines or by phone.
For long stay patients and people with regular appointments at the outpatients department, concessions are available.
Trust volunteers will continue to be issued free parking permits.
Disgusting you have to pay for parking at a hospital anyway. Greed, Greed and Greed.
Outrageous that the staff have to pay parking charges. No wonder the nhs are under staffed.
Totally agree Daphne without the staff there be no hospital .
appalling staff have to pay to preform their duty especially with the wages their on and minimum or no pay increases
other workers around the island have to pay to park and then head into work – what makes those that work for the NHS any different.
Because the actual front line staff save lives.
The staff get get charged £75 a year
Exactly, including those who not only don’t save lives but also waste public funds right left and centre.
How disgusting that they charge Staff to park!
Agree completely that it is appalling NHS Staff have to pay to park at their work place, but that is down to the government of the day (Labour at the time) who authorised HMRC to view parking provided by the employer as ‘ a benefit in kind’ and therefore taxable on earned income. Effectively, workers either pay increased tax on their earnings or pay parking charges. Morally, that position is wholly indefensible and has to be seen for what it is, a penalising tax on the employed.
However, charging patients to park is absolutely abominable, considering everyone pays into the NHS anyway, that effectively is a double taxation and penalises patients for having the brass neck to require medical treatment at centralised hospital facilities that invariably are miles away from the residences of those patients.
But, like the sheep we are, we will just stump up from our ever decreasing, in terms of value and buying power, salaries and pensions and pay an additional fee for the privilege of having to go to hospital, even before we get the treatment we are supposed to be entitled to having paid In for that treatment since commencing employment.
I really do wonder how the people responsible for this decision can justify in their consciences this decision to themselves, let alone the patients affected at a time when they require medical treatment……. As I say – Abominable.
That’s right, penalise the sick.
Staff should not have to pay !!!!
End of !!!!
They absolutely should. Out of their wages paid for by the public. End of.
Its downright disgusting that we pay for the NHS in taxes in one form another, yet still end up paying MORE to use the NHS.
Rip off Britain.
although i do not condone the parking fee staff have to pay to park at the hospital, would it not be worth seeing if that fee can be claimed back in tax as it is a work related expense, afterall the gov do a rebate on washing work uniforms …just a though… can an accountant confirm either way ??
I don’t agree with NHS staff having to pay to park their car at work.
This always was an absolute disgrace right from the beginning. Whether staff, patients or visitors. It can never be morally right to charge people for visiting a hospital for whatever reason.