Wales to abolish hospital parking charges

The Welsh government has confirmed plans to scrap parking charges in hospitals.

Health minister Edwina Hart made the announcement in a written statement on Monday.

Welsh NHS trusts collected some £5.4m from car parking charges in 2006/07. But under the new regulations NHS trusts which do not have contracts with private companies will stop charging patients from April 1.

The government also told those with private car parking contracts to reduce the rates until the contracts expire.

"Car parking charges fall heavily on people frequently attending NHS hospitals, whether they are patients, staff or visitors," Hart said.

"They are at best an inconvenience and at worst an unfair expense. 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."

The British Medical Association said it was "delighted" by the news. "The BMA has campaigned on this issue for some time and believe that it unfairly penalised patients," said Dr Richard Lewis, the Welsh secretary of the BMA.

"I have no doubt that all those who use hospital services in Wales will be pleased with this announcement and the BMA is delighted to hear this good news."

However, the Welsh NHS Confederation warned that the move would increase financial pressures on trusts.

Director Mike Ponton said: "On the face of it, this is great news for patients, staff and visitors and we're sure it will be welcomed by the public.

"But it costs a lot of money to run car parks and the dilemma now is how to meet these costs without impacting on patient care. It will inevitably add to the pressures placed on trusts to provide services and balance the books."