Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the voluntary NHS free parking concession for carers.

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of including carers in the provision of providing free car parking for those in greatest need.

All National Health Service trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking those in greatest need, which includes NHS staff working overnight, frequent outpatient attenders, disabled people, and parents of children staying overnight in hospital. Further information is 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

NHS organisations decide locally on the provision, management, and charging for their car parking within the policy set out by the Department, and therefore can provide additional free parking concession for carers. The four free groups are defined as:

• disabled people, where a disabled person is a holder of a valid Blue Badge and is attending hospital as a patient or visitor or is a disabled person employed by the hospital trust. Disabled patients and visitors receive free parking for the duration of their attendance at, or visit to, the hospital. Disabled employees receive free parking while at the hospital for purposes relating to their employment;
• frequent outpatient attenders, where parking will be provided free to all outpatients who attend hospital for an appointment at least three times within a month and for an overall period of at least three months. A ‘month’ is defined as a period of 30 days;
• the parents of sick children staying overnight. The parent of a child in hospital overnight is a parent or guardian of a child or young person, under 18 years old, who is admitted as an inpatient at hospital overnight. They receive free parking between the hours of 7.30pm and 8.00am while visiting the child. This would apply to a maximum of two vehicles; and
• staff working night shifts, specifically members of staff with a shift starting after 7.30pm and ending before 8.00am. They receive free parking for the duration of their shift.