MORE than £1billion has been spent on hospital car parking charges over the past six years, figures reveal.
NHS staff paid more than £300million, while patients and visitors forked out £847million.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire has collected the most since 2018, with £37.3million.
University Hospitals Birmingham followed with £25.2million, and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust raked in £23.9million over the same period.
The Lib Dems, who compiled the data, also found that NHS hospital parking charges rose to £243million in 2024 from £192.5million in 2023.
But the Department of Health and Social Care insisted: “Hospital car park charges are the responsibility of individual NHS trusts.
“However, any charges must be reasonable and in line with the local area.
“Any revenue is used to maintain car park facilities and surplus income is put back into the NHS.”
Lib Dem Care spokesperson Alison Bennett blasted the “unfair tax on the sick.”
She added: “It cannot be right that nurses have to pay through the nose to get to work or that patients are subjected to sky-high fees to get treatment they desperately need.
“The Conservatives promised to crack down on unfair hospital car parking charges but failed miserably.
“The new government must now work urgently to stamp out these unfair fees and back our calls for a new Visitors and Caring Fund.”
