Patients at Whittington are being charged much more than the national average to park their cars at the hospital.
People driving to the hospital have to pay £3.00 an hour to use the Whittington’s car park which is £1.85 higher than the rest of the UK, a study by a health watchdog revealed.
Michael Eskillig, 62, a pensioner who came to the hospital with a broken leg, described the charges as “out of order”.
He said: “If they have to charge something, then fair enough. But three pounds? That’s really taking the mick.”
Shareev Shaheem, 75, a professor at Imperial College who lives in Highgate Village, said the issue was affecting the whole community.
He said: “Parking doesn’t only affect people going to the hospital, but also neighbourhood residents, as it means people have to park everywhere. This is causing a lot of grief.”
Money from parking charges goes into a parking budget which is used to pay for maintenance and staffing of the car park.
A study released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre revealed that only the Royal Free London Foundation Trust, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital Foundation Trust and Countess of Chester Hospital Foundation Trust charge as much. The Chelsea and Westminster Foundation Trust charges £2.50.
Fifteen hospitals in England charge more than £2 an hour while in dozens of hospitals across the UK allow patients and visitors free parking.
Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, called for the abolition of car parking charges at NHS hospitals.
She told the Health Service Journal: “ “We have called before for the abolition of hospital car parking charges and we continue to believe that this should occur as a matter of urgency.”
A spokesperson from the Department of Health said: “NHS organisations set their own car parking policies and should work with their local communities to set them fairly and appropriately.
“Patients who have to attend hospital regularly or for long periods of time have a fundamental right to fair and appropriate car parking concessions, and we expect hospital trusts to provide them.”
