Free hospital parking for NHS workers ‘will end after coronavirus lockdown’

NHS heroes working in hospitals up and down the country will soon have to pay for their parking again.

The government has said that the free parking measures introduced on March 25 “cannot continue indefinitely”, but said staff in “certain circumstances” would still be entitled to the benefit.

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Health secretary Matt Hancock had introduced the measures at the start of the Covid-19 lockdown to cover the cost of parking for staff that he said were “going above and beyond every day”.

Speaking this afternoon Prime Minister Boris Johnson said hospital car parks are free for NHS staff for this pandemic.

"They're free now, and we're going to get on with our manifesto commitment to make them free for patients who need them as well."

His comments were in response to Labour leader Keir Starmer who questioned why NHS staff would have to pay for parking.

He said the nation claps for health workers and said the charges were "further insult to injury".

The debate comes after health minister Edward Argar said last week that the government would need to reevaluate how long the measures could stay in place for.

He said that while the government wants to make good on its promise of free parking, that it ultimately comes down to local authorities and private providers who they have been working alongside.

“The provision of free parking for National Health Service staff by NHS Trusts has not ended and nothing has changed since the announcement on 25 March.

"However, free parking for staff has only been made possible by support from local authorities and independent providers and this support cannot continue indefinitely”, he said in response to a question from Labour MP Rachael Maskell.

Baroness Nicky Morgan also today said that nothing had changed for NHS workers.

Speaking on LBC she said: "The government asked the NHS Trusts to lift the parking charges because our health workers and our care workers have done such an amazing job in looking after those of us who have been sick and ill.

"Nothing has changed in relation to that."

However, plans to make car parking more consistent across England are underway through the NHS Standard Contract.

New requirements will be implemented in January 2021 in accordance with the contract.

As part of this the government may introduce a ticket or token system so that eligible people could redeem free parking and can apply for refunds for parking they have already been charged for.

This is while the British Medical Association said that to reintroduce charges would be a “a rebuff to the immense efforts of staff across the country and the sacrifices they have made to keep others safe”.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair added that the BMA has always believed that it is unacceptable for NHS staff to be required to pay significant amounts of money to park their car in hospital grounds.

“This is even more salient as the nation recognises the immeasurable contribution of healthcare workers in fighting this pandemic.”

Under new rules that are set to come into effect in January thousands of NHS workers and patients will be eligible for free parking.

In a statement a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We want to make sure NHS staff can travel safely to work during the pandemic, which is why we requested that the NHS make parking free for staff, and that local authorities do the same with their car parks.