An eight-week Department of Health consultation on hospital parking charges in England, the findings of which Health Secretary Andy Burnham said would be used to develop “a clear set of principles which balance fairness with the financial pressures that hospitals will be under in the coming period”, ends on 23 February.
The views of patients, staff, and other “stakeholders” have been sought on how a “more uniform”, fairer system of car parking can best be implemented after the Health Minister announced last September that car parking charges for all English NHS inpatients would be scrapped over a three-year period. The consultation outlines options including giving all inpatients free hospital car parking for their visitors, or only after a long stay; giving access to free parking for outpatients needing to attend a series of appointments, or placing a cap on charges for priority outpatient groups attending regular hospital appointments. The consultation document can be found online at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/ Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_110557
