Channel 4 News have uncovered that thousands of NHS workers are receiving fines for parking at work. Multiple NHS workers have highlighted inadequate parking infrastructure as a cause, which would mean they’re paying the price for a government failure to implement appropriate infrastructure.
NHS workers accrued 25,000 parking fines
Channel 4 News FactCheck uncovered 25,000 parking fines. The investigation covers 17 trusts across one year (2024), meaning the actual number of fines is almost certainly much higher. NHS staff have had to pay fines amounting to hundreds of pounds in some instances. As FactCheck report:
cancer patient coordinator Shakebah Robinson has had nearly 200 tickets in the last few years, which over time have racked up to £15,000.
FactCheck have said health professionals are ‘outraged’ by this issue, and that many have valid parking permits and are working under intense pressure.
Nurse Lisa Duggan told FactCheck:
It’s absolutely disgusting. I don’t think there’s any care and compassion. I don’t think it’s fair for staff to be put in this situation.
She also said:
everyone is stressed and being threatened.
A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care claimed:
Free parking is available for those in greatest need, including all NHS staff who work overnight.
While hospital car park charges are the responsibility of individual NHS trusts, we expect all charges to be reasonable and in line with the local area. Exploitation or mistreatment of hardworking NHS staff is unacceptable.
In response to this growing concern, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is calling for the government to reinstate free parking for NHS workers. This would bring England in line with Scotland and Wales where this is already the case. It would also reflect the situation during the pandemic when parking was free for NHS workers in England.
RCN executive director Patricia Marquis said:
It really is of concern to think that nurses are regularly, it would appear, being fined for going to work.
Our absolute clear message to both the government and the trusts themselves, is they should be providing safe and cost effective parking or travel means so that everyone can get to work without worry, and without it costing them an extortionate amount
Featured image via PickPik / Goodcatmum (Wikimedia)
By Willem Moore
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