Reason why Sheffield hospitals reported more than 200 per cent increase in parking-related income explained

The “Hospital Parking Report 2024” has been published with data from hundreds of hospitals up and down the country.

The authors obtained the numbers to detail the parking revenues for each trust, “providing insights into regional disparities and the financial impact on patients and visitors”.

They said in 2023, NHS trusts in England collectively generated “an unprecedented £145.9 million from parking charges”.

It’s a 50 per cent increase from the previous year.

For the report, the authors compared the visitor/patient income of the 2021/22 financial year to 2022/23.

According to the report, while Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had £590,894 in 2021/22, the next year this number rose by 235 per cent to £1,979,768.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted the trust for a comment.

We asked why the increase in revenue and what the money/profit was used for.

A spokesperson for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said income is up because there had been free parking during the Covid pandemic.

They also said any profit made is reinvested in NHS services locally.

They said: “There has not been an increase in car parking charges at our hospitals in either of the financial years 2021/22 or 2022/23.

“There was a national instruction during the pandemic for all hospitals to have free parking for staff and patients which we complied with. This instruction was lifted in 2023 and we reverted to the same parking charges as before.

“This is why there is a difference in the figures and not because of any increase in charging rates. We continue to invest any monies over and above the cost of providing and maintaining our car parks back into NHS services locally.

“In the last two years we have also increased the concessions we have available for free and subsidised parking, and these are all explained on our website.

“We have also invested in creating additional parking spaces where we have space available as well as introducing improved lighting and security.”

Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, a different entity, had seen an increase of 62 per cent – from £16,020 to £25,890 – during the same period.