NHS parking charges to be abolished in Scotland
Published: 03 September 2008
Following RCN Scotland’s high-profile car parking campaign – Say No to Car Parking Charges – the Scottish Government announced today (2 September 2008) that it is set to follows Wales’ example and abolish all car parking charges in Scotland from 31 December this year.
Commenting on the announcement, Andy Patrick, RCN Scotland board member and member of the Scottish Government’s review group on hospital car parking charges, said: “RCN Scotland has long-campaigned on this issue and we are pleased on behalf of our members, patients and their relatives that the Scottish Government has now decided to take action.”
In a You Gov poll commissioned by RCN Scotland last year, 87% of the public supported the scrapping of parking charges for patients, visitors and staff at NHS premises. Today’s announcement is welcome, as car parking charges represent an additional tax on staff and patients and go against the principle of care being free at the point of delivery.
The announcement does not cover the three privately-built (PFI) hospitals in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee and RCN Scotland is now calling on the local Health Boards to find ways of reducing the cost of parking for staff, patients and visitors. It is patently unfair that staff who are paid the same as those working in all other NHS premises, will have to continue to pay car parking charges just to go to work.
Norman Provan, Associate Director of RCN Scotland, said:
“Both the public and nurses have long believed that car parking charges represent an additional tax and go against the principle of care being free at the point of delivery.
“Now we call on the Government to work with health boards to find a similar solution for the three PFI hospitals which are not included in today’s announcement.”