Sheffield hospitals trust earns £9m in parking fees

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals was the NHS trust with the fourth highest parking fees income in the UK, a freedom of information request revealed, earning £9,391,935.

Parking fees at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital cost £2.50 for up to two hours, and £3.70 for four. The price is £8.40 for more than four hours’ parking.

Parking fees are the same price at the Northern General but are free at Weston Park Hospital.

One customer, who was parking their car in the hospital’s multi-storey, said: “It’s too high. We come quite regularly so it has cost a fortune. I have only been here for 20 minutes and it’s cost me £2.50. There’s nowhere else to park - that’s the problem.”

Kevin O’Regan, the trust’s hotel services director, said: “As the UK’s second-largest group of hospitals, the number of car parking spaces we have is significantly more than most other hospitals. Therefore our income in comparison will always appear high.

“All surplus income we receive from car parks is always reinvested in NHS services here in Sheffield.”

He added that the trust had not increased car parking charges for two years and had provided a free shuttle bus between the hospital sites for staff, free drop-off zones for A&E patients and mums in labour, as well as free parking for kidney dialysis patients.

Mr O’Regan said: “We also provide a free shuttle service on our largest site, the Northern General Hospital.”

Derby Teaching Hospitals topped the list as the highest earner, collecting £10.8m since 2013.

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and Nottingham University Hospitals were ranked second and third respectively.