NHS hospitals generate record £300 million from parking fees

Data released this one outlet reveal that NHS hospitals in England amassed a record £300 million from parking charges, up 10 % from the prior year and surpassing the 2019/20 high. Patients and their families paid over £213 million, while staff contributed nearly £87 million. The top-earning trust was University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, which collected £10.2 million, largely from visitors.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals of Leicester followed with almost £7 million and £6.4 million respectively, the latter receiving more than 70 % from patients. Smaller trusts like Devon Partnership NHS Trust and Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust earned under £25 000. Politicians have criticised the charges as a "tax on the sick" and called for reductions, while the Department of Health and Social Care says surplus income is reinvested in NHS services.