Ever wondered how much the hospitals make from parking?
Published Date: 27th Jun 2016
The Auto Express magazine have carried out an investigation and revealed that hospitals in England raised an astonishing £344 million from parking over the past three years. On Average that’s £950,000 per NHS Trust from staff, patient and visitor parking charges.
Derby Teaching hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a real top money maker with £10.9 million made over the last three years. 2nd place goes to the Heart of England Foundation Trust with £10.3 million made between 2013 and 2016.
The Top Ten NHS Car Park Earners.
| NHS Foundation Trust | Total parking income 2013-2016 |
| Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | £10,858,298 |
| Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust | £10,333,980 |
| Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust | £9,859,187 |
| Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | £9,391,935 |
| Central Manchester NHS Foundation Trust | £8,940,052 |
| The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust | £7,813,559 |
| Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust | £7,417,537 |
| Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust | £6,982,463 |
| The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust | £6,933,404 |
| South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | £6,544,045 |
Prices for parking are not set out in stone and can vary between hospitals across England, the dearest can is £3.50 and the cheapest rate can be as little as 60p.
Some of the trusts also make a considerable amount of money from staff. The University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation trust collecting a total of £3.8 million with £1.2 million coming from staff between.
A Freedom of Information request revealed that NHS trusts have issued a whopping 275,000 fines worth £2.8 million over three years, this averages £8,200 from penalty charges for each Trust.
The Top Ten NHS Earners from Fines, 2013-2016.
| NHS Foundation Trust | Total income from parking fines 2013-2016 |
| The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | £245,422 |
| London North West Healthcare NHS Trust | £149,903 |
| Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | £146,940 |
| University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust | £134,152 |
| East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust | £126,757 |
| Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | £121,207 |
| Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust | £105,803 |
| Bolton NHS Foundation Trust | £95,000 |
| West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust | £83,466 |
| Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust | £83,034 |
The money made from parking charges and fines is used by the trust to maintain the parking areas and the rest goes towards patient care. But in many cases the car park is ran by a private firm and any profit is swallowed up in fees.
Scotland and Wales have both ended the added stress of hospital charges for parking. Wales put an end to it in April 2008 with Scotland following suit at the end of the year.
A Spokeswoman for the BPA (British Parking Association) said “Whilst many people attending healthcare facilities expect car parking to be free, the limits on space, costs involved and demand for spaces mean that parking needs to be managed. Often the most effective way to do this is by charging. “Free parking at hospitals in Wales and Scotland has actually made the situation worse. If the users don’t pay for the parking then the trust does.”