Stop the charges

My partner was recently admitted to the local county hospital and while her stay was mercifully brief and she received excellent care, there was one notable downside; parking charges.

Without wishing to sound Scrooge-like, I only went to this hospital four times but still ended up shelling out about £15 in car parking fees. A stay of a little over two hours (the length of visiting time) cost a whopping £3.30.

Many hospitals have been charging car parking fees for several years now. While they tended to start fairly cheap – 50p, no matter how long you stay, for instance – prices have jumped in recent years and are now on a par, if not more, than your average city centre multi-storey.

To me, this is morally wrong. It is unfair to penalise anyone visiting a relative or friend who is sick, even more so if it is a long-term condition. Imagine a pensioner having to visit his wife who has a broken hip. She will not be going anywhere for some time, and if he wants to visit her every day – a not unreasonable desire – the cost will quickly mount up. While you can get discounted weekly or season tickets, it would still take a significant chunk of the basic state pension.

These charges are essentially a licence to print money, taking advantage of a captive market. There is no way out of them.

The excuses hospitals give for introducing charges do not wash, such as deterring commuters parking in hospital car parks and cutting congestion. These are minor problems at worst and the end does not justify the means.

It wouldn’t be so bad if all the money from the charges went towards patient care, but often it doesn’t, especially in those hospitals that outsource the running of their car parks to a private company.

Hospital car park charges should be scrapped; it’s morally wrong for people visiting sick relatives or friends – especially those needing long-term care – to have to pay for the privilege. There is no need for it and it only succeeds in putting more stress on people at a time when their energies should be focused on the person in the hospital bed.