Department of Health

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Car parking charges

  • Last modified date:
    4 March 2008
  • Gateway reference:
    not required

Response to a request for:

1. How much money each individual hospital or subcontractor on behalf of each hospital in the NHS obtained as fees from car parking at each site for last year (or the most recent year for which figures are available).

2. The cost per hour or per day at each individual hospital

3. The amount taken by each hospital from people paying to be released from clamping at a hospital

4. If the above figures are not available to that degree of breakdown then the same figures in each case for each and every NHS Trust.

Response

The Department collects a wide range of information from the NHS about the land and buildings that are used to deliver healthcare. This information is collected annually under the Estates Related Information Collection system (ERIC). This data collection system provides information, at hospital site level, that is then made available to the wider NHS for performance benchmarking purposes. When the system was first established, it was compulsory for all NHS organisations to provide information in respect of every data field. However, in an effort to reduce the administrative burden on the NHS, the provision of certain items of information is now a voluntary matter.

Certain information relating to car parking is collected under the ERIC system and that is the source of the attached information.

As required under the Freedom of Information Act (2000), this data is provided as supplied by NHS organisations themselves and has not been amended following its collection. This data has not been actively checked by the Department of Health and therefore we cannot provide confirmation of its accuracy or completeness. We strongly suggest that you approach the providing NHS organisations to confirm it before placing any reliance on it.

Against that background, we have provided the information we hold on the gross income that NHS organisations have reported they received from parking charges paid by staff and visitors in 2006-07. Information is not collected on the costs that trusts incur in providing parking facilities. No information is collected on the amounts of income that may accrue to subcontractors working on behalf of NHS organisations. The information on income received from parking charges is provided as part of the voluntary data collection and therefore data it will not be complete where NHS organisations have not provided information.

The information we can provide on the average hourly cost of parking for patients, visitors and staff is taken from the same collection source but its provision is compulsory for NHS organisations, other than Foundation trusts.

All of this information is set out in the attached document on a site-by-site basis. We have also provided a key to the technical terminology and format used.

Hospital car parking charges are decided locally by individual trusts to help cover the cost of running and maintaining a car park.  All trusts should have exemption and concessionary schemes in place to ensure that patients and carers who visit hospital regularly are not disadvantaged. They should also have sustainable public transport plans in place for staff and visitors. 

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