National Health Service hospital parking

As of April 2022[update], NHS organisations in England may optionally charge patients, visitors or staff for parking, the temporary suspension of fees during COVID-19 having been lifted.

A survey of 7,800 people found 86% said parking added to the stress of their hospital visit and they described the fees as a "rip-off", "extortionate" and "astronomical".

[4] After the election Matt Hancock announced that all the 206 NHS hospital trusts in England would be expected to provide free car parking from April 2020 to people that may be frequent hospital visitors, or those disproportionately impacted by daily or hourly charges for parking, including blue badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents staying overnight with sick children in hospital, and NHS staff working nightshifts.

[6] Claims by the Scottish National Party in 2019 that parking fees have been removed from all NHS hospitals in Scotland have been contested because there are still fees at Ninewells Hospital, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, set up as part of the private finance initiative deals.

[7] However, in 2021, the Scottish Government announced that the charges would be abolished after reaching a £35 million deal to buy car parks at those hospitals.

From 2016/17 to 2018/19 the Northern Ireland health trusts collected £15,673,977 from hospital car parking charges.