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Wales removes hospital car parking charges from April

03/03/2008

NHS hospital car parking charges are to be removed in Wales, with free parking to be in place from April 1st this year.

Health minister Edwina Hart said patients, staff and visitors would be able to park for free at almost every NHS hospital in Wales by the end of 2011.

The only hospitals without free parking will be those where NHS trusts have external contracts in place, however they will be required to propose and fund schemes to reduce costs until contracts expire.

The assembly government claims that by 2011 only four hospital sites out of a total of 130 will be due to still have parking charges in place.

Last year nearly £5.4million was collected by NHS trusts in Wales from hospital parking charges.

The additional costs to the NHS of removing parking charges will be met from within annual NHS funding allocations.

Ms Hart said the decision would ensure a "fairer and more consistent car parking policy for hospitals across Wales".

"Car parking charges fall heavily on people frequently attending NHS hospitals, whether they are patients, staff or visitors. They are at best an inconvenience and at worst an unfair expense," she added.

"Over time, all NHS patients, visitors and those who care for them will not have the expense or inconvenience of charges. By the end of the current assembly term, the vast majority of NHS sites will have free parking for all."

Cath Lindley, general manager for Macmillan Cancer Support in Wales, said the charity "wholeheartedly welcomes" the announcement.

"On average cancer patients make 60 trips to hospital from diagnosis to treatment to follow-up, and as a result they are hit particularly hard, both financially and emotionally, by travelling costs and unfair parking charges," she added.

"The announcement today will go some way towards reducing the financial burden that can come with a cancer diagnosis."

Tina Donnelly, director of Royal College of Nursing Wales, commented: "This is good news for patients, hospital visitors and our members alike who are often financially burdened by the costs of parking.

"Our members are taxed daily by these charges in the course of carrying out their duties and delivering care to patients; this will help to alleviate that issue."