North Yorks MP angry over health bosses £4m hospital car park profit (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

North Yorks MP angry over health bosses £4m hospital car park profit

5:12pm Thursday 9th July 2009

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HEALTH bosses are accused of over charging patients in the region after a local MP claimed they made £4m from car park charges.

Anne McIntosh, the Vale of York MP, says the NHS Trusts covering the South Tees, Harrogate, York and Scarborough hospitals made the money.

The Conservative MP claims that between them they made over £4m between 2006-08.

She said: "The level of car parking charges levied by these trusts seems to be quite expensive.

"The Department of Health has to ensure that NHS Trusts can offer low cost car parking to those visiting sick or elderly friends and relatives.

"However, an income of more than £4 million suggests that more could be done to reduce the cost of visiting hospital."

She will write to the trusts to try to find a way to minimise the parking costs.

The South Tees Hospital Trust, covers the James Cook Hospital, on Teesside, and also the Firarage Hospital, in North Yorkshire.

This year long-stay car parking increased at the James Cook Hospital but not short-stay charges. The Friarage’s charges were unchanged.

Jill Moulton, the trust’s director of planning said: "We are obliged to review car parking charges every year and making changes is never an easy or popular choice.

"We know the vast majority of patients and visitors are on the James Cook site less than three hours so we deliberately tried to keep the shorter-stay prices the same.

"We also actively promote a special permit system for regular visitors and patients starting from £8 a month."

York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a number of concession schemes.

Patrick Crowley, the York trust’s chief executive, said: "The revenue from car parking funds the running and maintenance of the car park.

"The hospital is not immune to the current economic climate and needs to ensure it can cover the cost of providing parking on-site."

A Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust spokesman said: "Visitors tell us that finding a space is not a problem and we have very few complaints about car parking,.

"The funds generated from car parking charges are not specifically held for improvements to car parking facilities. Improvements are routinely made to the car parking areas."

Steve Warren, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s director of estates and facilities, said: "In line with Department of Health guidance, it is not a sensible use of limited resources to subsidise car parking at the hospital for everyone.

"However, we have a wide range of concessions in place, and introduced a season ticket scheme for those patients who have attend the hospital on a regular basis offering a reduced cost.

"A significant portion of the income raised by car parking charges is used on the maintenance and security of them."

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