Scrap the ‘cruel punishment’ of hospital parking charges for carers – Carers Trust

Rachel* was a carer for her husband who had Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Type 2 Diabetes. This combination of conditions meant that he needed constant support – help with washing, dressing, and eating. Rachel’s life was taken up with her caring role and that included making regular trips to hospital so that her husband could receive essential medical care. Rachel stayed with her husband on the ward. That way she could be there to feed and clothe him and calm him when he became anxious. Nurses and doctors were grateful for Rachel’s support and the insights into her husband’s condition that she could provide.

Over the final five weeks that Rachel’s husband was in hospital, she paid out £120 in car parking charges. To Rachel, having to check every day that she’d put enough money in the meter seemed like a cruel punishment for needing and wanting to care for her husband. She contacted Carers Trust because she wanted her story to be shared.

Unfortunately, Rachel’s experience is not an isolated one. For many unpaid carers, making regular trips to the local hospital is just a routine part of their week – like getting in the shopping or paying the bills. It’s what they have to do to make sure the person they care for is getting the treatment and support they need.

The result is that across England millions of carers are paying out hundreds of pounds a month in hospital car parking charges. On average, a carer can expect to pay £40 per week to park – though some hospitals have been reported to charge up to £500 for a week’s parking.

Going to hospital is not usually a pleasant experience for anyone – it’s full of stress and uncertainty. Imagine paying £500 out in one week just to be there while the person you care for receives urgent medical treatment.

Sadly, for carers, they are hit hardest by these fees.

That’s partly because carers are likely to be making frequent trips to hospitals but it’s also because, as a result of the expenses that can come from caring and the fact that carers often have to give up work to look after their friend or family member, unpaid carers are more than likely to be under financial pressure. One in three carers report that they are worse off as a result of their caring role.

Charging carers to park can only have one outcome: adding stress to their lives and taking more money out of their pockets.

But it’s a burden that we can relieve. It’s already been done in Scotland and Wales where parking in hospital is free for unpaid carers. And now we have a chance to give parity of experience for carers in England.

Julie Cooper, MP for Burnley, has introduced a Private Members’ Billcalling for the scrapping of hospital car parking charges for carers. The Bill will be debated on Friday 30th October and we urge every MP who supports carers such as Rachel - and wants them to be supported in return -to attend the debate and speak and vote in favour of Julie’s Bill. For us, this could just be a small step. But for carers, removing hospital car parking charges could take away a source of constant stress, relieving the pressure on their finances, and showing that we appreciate and value the incredible work they do.

* Name anonymised