Telford and Shrewsbury hospital parking charges rake in over £1.5m in a year
The trust which runs Shropshire's two main hospitals collected more than £1.5m in car parking charges in the last financial year, new figures show.
About a third of the amount collected by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust was paid by staff, with the remainder handed over by patients and visitors.
The NHS trust, which runs Telford's Princess Royal Hospital and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, raked in £1,515,578 during 2016/17 – slightly less than in 2015/16 when £1,525,640 was made through car parking fees.
It was up from £1,289,302 taken by the trust in 2013/14.
Hospital parking fees increased at PRH and RSH last month, for the first time in four years.
Bosses introduced an hourly tariff, which they said would encourage "better flow and increased availability" for visitors.
Previously, visitors paid £2.50 for up to two hours, £3 for two to five hours and £3.50 for five to 24 hours.
The current charges are now £3 for up to two hours, £4 for up to three hours, £5 for up to four hours, £6 for up to five hours, and £8 for 24 hours.
The free 30-minute parking period for patients and visitors was also reduced to 20 minutes.
Data collected by the Press Association showed that hospitals across England took a record £174,526,970 in parking charges in 2016/17 – up six per cent on the year before.
In 2015/16, £164,162,458 was raised.
Some 120 NHS trusts across England were asked to give figures on parking charges and fines under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, of which 111 responded.
While NHS trusts in England continue to charge patients, visitors and staff for parking, hospital parking in Scotland and Wales remains largely free.
The Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust came out top when it came to parking income, making £4,865,000 across the year.
Shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, said hospital parking charges were an "entirely unfair and unnecessary burden, which disproportionately affect the most vulnerable people using our health service".
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."
