Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure NHS organisations implement guidance that car parking concessions should be available to (a) visitors with relatives who are gravely ill and (b) visitors to relatives who have an extended stay in hospital.

The Department published National Health Service patient, visitor and staff car parking principles on 23 August 2014. These principles made it clear that NHS trusts should provide concessions for several groups including visitors with relatives who are gravely ill and visitors to relatives who have an extended stay in hospital. They make it clear that NHS trusts should publish:

- their parking policy;

- their implementation of the NHS car parking principles;

- financial information relating to their car parking arrangements; and

- summarised complaint information on car parking and actions taken in response.

In line with our policy of making all key information transparently available to patients, our expectation is that this information including information on concessions will be displayed prominently on trust websites so that patients and the public can hold the NHS locally to account where unfair parking charges and practices remain in place.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre collects information annually via the Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) on behalf of the Department on NHS compliance with these principles, including the provision of concessions. The published results provide assurance to patients and the public that NHS organisations are complying with the Principles.

To help NHS organisations deliver the above principles the Department published NHS Car Parking Management: Environment and Sustainability (HTM 07-03) on 25 March 2015.