New data analysis by car leasing company Hippo Leasing reveals the most expensive daily parking charges at A&E departments in England.
In December it was reported that every major A&E unit in England failed to hit its four-hour A&E waiting time target. This was the worst performance since targets were introduced in 2004.
At the same time, it was also announced that in 2019 hospital car parking charges brought in more than £254m of revenue for the NHS last year – a record high.
With topping up the meter likely to be the last thing on your or your loved ones’ mind in the A&E waiting room, many will opt to pay the daily charge to avoid a fine or countless trips back and forth to the meter if car parks do not have automatic number plate recognition technology.
So, with more expensive parking and longer A&E waiting times, where does this leave the public?
To find out where people are most likely to get hit financially by record waiting times, Hippo Leasing has analysed the cost of daily parking charges at over 150 A&E departments* in England:
A&Es with most expensive daily parking | |||
NHS Trust | Location | Cost | |
1 | Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust | London | £77.00 |
2 | Whittington Health NHS Trust | London | £72.00 |
3 | Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust | London | £52.80 |
4 | Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | London | £40.00 |
5 | King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | London | £29.00 |
6 | St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | London | £25.00 |
7 | Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust | Sussex | £20.00 |
8 | Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust | South Yorkshire | £20.00 |
9 | Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Bedfordshire | £20.00 |
10 | Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust | Hampshire | £18.20 |
Of those studied, most on-site A&E car parks also charge a daily rate for any period over six hours, leaving motorists with little choice.
Unsurprisingly, given that London is the second most expensive place to park in the world, the six dearest A&E daily parking charges in England can be found in the Capital.
The most expensive A&E daily rate is at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital which, at £77, is more than triple the weekly parking price at 31 different hospitals in England.
Five more London hospitals feature in the top 10 most expensive list: Whittington Health NHS Trust (£72); Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (£52.80); Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (£40); King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (£29) and St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (£25).
Outside of London, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have the most expensive daily A&E parking charges (£20), followed by Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust (£18.20) and Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (£18.00):
A&Es outside of London with most expensive daily parking | |||
Organisation Name | Location | Cost | |
1 | Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust | West Sussex | £20.00 |
2 | Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust | South Yorkshire | £20.00 |
3 | Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Bedfordshire | £20.00 |
4 | Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust | Hampshire | £18.20 |
5 | Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust | Sussex | £18.00 |
6 | Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust | Surrey | £17.00 |
7 | East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust | East Sussex | £16.60 |
8 | Leeds General Infirmary | West Yorkshire | £16.40 |
9 | St James’s University Hospital | West Yorkshire | £16.40 |
10 | The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust | Norfolk | £15.60 |
Expensive hospital parking isn’t just hitting people financially. A recent survey by PA Media of patients and visitors found almost 9 out of ten (86 percent) thought parking added to the stress of a hospital visit.
When it comes to free A&E parking, only a handful of hospitals offer this to patients and visitors no matter the length of their stay:
A&Es with free parking | ||
Organisation Name | Location | Cost |
Bunny Hill Urgent Care Centre | Tyne and Wear | Free |
Clevedon Community Hospital | North Somerset | Free |
Corby Urgent Care Centre | Northamptonshire | Free |
North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust | Cumbria | Free |
Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust | Shropshire | Free |
Wiltshire Health & Care | Wiltshire | Free |
Wirral Community Health & Care NHS Trust | Merseyside | Free |
However, 72 out of the 154 hospitals studied do offer free ‘drop off’ parking ranging from under 10 minutes to up to an hour, allowing people to find cheaper parking elsewhere.
Tom Preston, Managing Director of Hippo Leasing commented on the findings:
“The rising cost of hospital parking has become a big talking point recently, with politicians weighing into the debate during the election. The news that A&E departments are also failing to meet their four-hour waiting time targets has only added fuel to the fire.
“With longer waiting times, many are forced to pay for daily parking charges instead of per hour. Hippo Leasing’s study into parking at A&E centres specifically, highlights the costs patients and visitors can expect if parking on-site in different parts of the country.”
