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Hospitals: Parking

Asked by Luke TaylorLiberal DemocratDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 15 January 2026UIN 103971

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of car parking charges in hospital car parks on access to healthcare.

Answered by Karin Smyth

It is important that the National Health Service is as accessible as possible to those that need it most. That is why the NHS already provides free hospital car parking to those in greatest need. This includes disabled blue badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of children staying overnight and NHS staff working overnight.

More widely, all NHS trusts are expected to follow the published NHS Car Parking Guidance. This states that car parking charges, where they exist, should be reasonable for the area, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

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