Two hospital trusts in Berkshire and Hampshire have been named as those with the most expensive parking for patients and visitors in the South East.
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust charges £19 for stops between six and 24 hours while Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust also charges patients and visitors £19 for a stay between 12 and 24 hours.
Two hospitals in Berkshire and Hampshire have some of the most expensive hospital parking nationwide. Photo: istock/paddythegolfer
Both trusts – which run the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital respectively – are said to have the most expensive car parks in the South East region according to data gathered by consumer finance experts at Fast Loan UK.
The trusts are also among some of the most expensive for hospital parking in England – outside of London – according to the figures.
Second to them in the South East region is University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, which operates Southampton General Hospital, and charges £18.60 for a 24-hour stay.
While across the country, and outside of the capital, there is just a small group of hospital trusts with more expensive parking according to the data.
Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital
This includes University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust – £26.50 for 24 hours; York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – £22.50 for 24 hours; The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at £22 and a three-way tie between Devon Partnership NHS Trust, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, which all charge £20.
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust increased its parking charges on April 1 this year in response to rising inflation.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “We recognise that parking costs are an important issue for patients, visitors and staff.
“Parking charges help cover the significant costs of maintaining, managing and securing our car parks.
“We offer a range of concessions for eligible patients and visitors, including those who need to attend hospital frequently.
“We will continue to review our charges against local public sector organisations, including hospitals in our region, and we continue to look at ways to improve access and parking provision across our hospital sites.”
Concessions can be available for those with a blue badge. Photo: istock
Some groups are entitled to park in hospital car parks for free, including blue badge holders, patients who may frequently attend outpatient appointments and parents of sick children staying overnight between certain times.
However the issue of hospital parking charges remains controversial – with expensive fees, complicated payment arrangements and a lack of spaces among some of the issues raised by patients with organisation HealthWatch earlier this year.
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust says it makes no profit from patients and visitors using its parking services.
Royal Berkshire Hospital says it doesn’t make a profit from car parking fees
In a statement the trust explained: “We do not make a profit from parking, any income generated is used to provide and manage our parking facilities for patients, visitors and staff.
“This includes maintenance, security, and subsidising alternative travel options including park and ride services.
“We review our parking tariffs each year and benchmark against local parking providers.
“As we are located in the town centre, we have to do this to make sure our limited parking capacity is available for patients, visitors, and staff, rather than used by commuters or shoppers.”