Hard-working and under-paid NHS staff at St Helier Hospital are forced to pay more than £1,200 a year just to use the hospital car park when they go in to work.

Hospital car parking charges see nursing staff at St Helier have to pay £1,200 per year

St Helier is ranked second on a national list of shame of hospital trusts, some of which use private car parking companies and which rake in profits at the expense doctors, nurses and other hospital staff.

A report based on Freedom of Information requests to NHS trusts across the country, compiled by hospital workers union the GMB, found that University Hospitals Bristol charge £1,300 per staff member per year for using its car parks, while the Epsom and St Helier hospitals trust charges £1,248.

“Hospital workers who care for us when we’re sick deserve a medal, not to be charged for the pleasure,” the GMB’s Tim Roache said.

The GMB wants hospital car parking charges dropped for its members, and for patients.

“It’s an outrage that NHS workers are being forced to fork out many hundreds of pounds a year just to park at work,” Roache said.

“Our members in public services have already had thousands pinched from their pay by the Tories over the last seven years and these unfair charges add insult to injury.

“Simply put – these charges are grossly unfair and must be scrapped.”

The Royal College of Nursing’s Gerry O’Dwyer said: “Hospitals run on the goodwill of staff, but hefty parking charges show the feeling doesn’t go both ways. For some nurses, especially those who work nights, public ­transport isn’t an option.

“They work around the clock and should not be ­overcharged for doing their jobs. Nursing staff are £3,000 worse off than in 2010 and can do without these costs.

“The Government isn’t giving the NHS the funding it needs but ­hospitals should not try to make money off their staff.”

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