This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Rising numbers of NHS hospitals charging disabled drivers to park
Rising numbers of NHS hospitals are charging disabled patients and visitors to park, official figures have shown.
139 hospital sites are charging disabled drivers according to statistics, even though the Health Secretary describes the payments as a ‘stealth tax on the vulnerable’.
Labour said the situation was ‘a disgrace’ with patients being forced to pay the price for a financial crisis in the heath service.
Average parking costs at some trusts are as high as £3.20 an hour, the figures from NHS Digital for 2016/17 reveal.
The number of hospitals charging disabled drivers has gone up from 135 in 2015/16 and 132 in 2014/15.
In 2014, Jeremy Hunt told hospitals to reform the system of charges and ensure concessions for people with disabilities.
Justin Madders, shadow health minister, said: “It is a disgrace that Jeremy Hunt has done nothing to tackle parking charges for disabled people, despite acknowledging himself that they are unfair.
“Disabled people often have no choice but to drive to hospital, and it’s wrong to target them with parking fees.
"The truth is hospitals are being forced to introduce or increase parking charges because they are desperately short of cash. This Government has caused a financial crisis in the NHS, and disabled people are paying the price.”
A Department of Health spokesman said: “Patients and families should not have to deal with the added stress of complex and unfair parking charges.
"NHS organisations are locally responsible for the methods used to charge, and we want to see them coming up with flexible options that put patients and their families first.”
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