Health secretary Andy Burnham announced at last month’s Labour Party Conference that the party intends to cancel car parking charges for NHS hospital inpatients over the next three years, giving each a permit for the length of their stay which family and friends can use.
However the announcement was attacked by Macmillan Cancer Support which, while applauding the Government for “recognising the cost to families visiting relatives in hospitals”, was “disappointed” it had “ignored the same high cost of parking charges to those cancer patients having treatments as outpatients”. Chief executive Ciáran Devane said: “Hospitals save £6,000 by delivering a sixweek course of radiotherapy to an outpatient, money which could, and should, be used to help all cancer patients with parking costs. The Government must re-consider and lift this great financial burden from those cancer patients attending regular treatment as outpatients.” Macmillan said cancer patients made 53 trips to hospitals on average during their treatment, spending an average of £325. Over half (59%) of 337 patients surveyed by the organisation said they did not get discounted or free parking at their local hospital, while 23% did receive it and 18% got a discount. Twelve per cent had not taken up the option because they only discovered its availability after completing their treatment.
