Some NHS trusts in England are making more than £3m a year in car parking fees, it has emerged.

Following a freedom of information (FoI) request by the Press Association, of the 90 trusts that responded, half were collecting at least £1m each year.

Some hospital trusts choose to hire private firms to manage their car parking services, while others are tied into long-term contracts with private firms under the private finance initiative (PFI).

In 2014-15, seven NHS trusts earned in excess of £3m. Eight collected more than £2m in the same period, while a further 33 took more than £1m.

It also emerged that disabled people are being charged for some or all of their parking needs by half of all trusts.

"Unaffordable Charges"

Rosie Downes, of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “The core principle of the NHS is to provide free healthcare for all at the point of access. But sadly these latest figures show that some cancer patients in England are still paying extortionate hospital car parking charges in order to access treatment for a life-threatening illness.

“Cancer patients receiving vital treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy will often need to make frequent trips to hospital and unaffordable charges are leaving many out of pocket.”

"Morally Wrong"

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: “We are concerned that hospitals in England still charge patients for car parking. Why is it that patients in Wales and Scotland do not have to pay to park? It is a postcode lottery and a tax on sick people who sometimes struggle to pay.

“The money is never reinvested in frontline services. Hospital car parks are often managed by private contractors who take a huge percentage of the profits. This is morally wrong – and charging disabled people is a disgrace.”

A number of NHS trusts also made significant sums from charging staff for parking. For example, University hospital Southampton NHS foundation trust collected £3,876,314 in parking fees in 2014-15, £1,206,836 of which was from staff.

Some of the top earners from parking fees (2014-15):

  • Oxford university hospitals NHS foundation trust – £3,728,000

  • The Heart of England NHS foundation trust – £3,413,413

  • Leicester NHS trust – £3,126,108