£400,000 funding gap if Hospital parking charges go

PATIENTS and visitors at St Mary’s Hospital are paying more than £400,000 in car parking fees, it has been revealed.

The Isle of Wight NHS Primary Care Trust earns £416,000 annually from the controversial charges, which range from £1.20 for two hours to £6 for 24 hours, with concessions for long-term patients and parents who need to stay with their children. But the days of hospital car parking charges could be numbered, following the publication of a consultation document by the Department of Health. It outlines several options for the future, including the possibility of free car parks.NHS Isle of Wight has welcomed the proposals, claiming car parking is an important issue for many people.

But it has also warned the current parking charges are used to pay for valuable healthcare services, which would have be funded by alternative means if the charges were scrapped.

Head of communications Andy Hollebon said around half of the £416,000 was used to pay for car park maintenance and security, while the other half was ploughed back into Island health services.

“£200,000 would cover the cost of inserting 70 pacemakers or 35 hip replacements. If NHS Isle of Wight were to lose this income it would need to be found elsewhere, which may add pressure to what is already a challenging financial position,” he said.

“This proposal also has implications for the requirement placed on the NHS to encourage the use of alternative forms of transport to the hospital, and the number of car parking spaces the hospital is allowed under planning guidance.”

The consultation document can be viewed at www.dh.gov.uk by clicking ‘live consultations’.

Reporter: martinn@iwcpmail.co.uk
From: Isle of Wight County Press

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