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 adequacy of the availability of disabled parking at hospitals.

The NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board recognises that accessible transport is a key enabler for patients to attend hospital appointments independently and safely. To that end, the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust works closely with local transport providers and system partners to manage transport accessibility for disabled patients.

Hospital car parks are the responsibility of individual National Health Service trusts, with no central Government involvement. Where it is possible to accommodate parking, local trusts are responsible for determining the ratio of car parking for patients, hospital users, and staff.

We know access to hospital car parking is important for all patients, including disabled patients. All NHS trusts that charge for car parking provide free hospital car parking in England for those most in need. This includes Blue Badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight in hospital, and NHS staff working night shifts. The Department has issued guidance to NHS trusts on the implementation of this commitment. Further information about this policy can be found 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