Visitors to Shropshire hospitals paid more than £1.3 million in parking charges last year, new figures show.

Parking revenue at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust during 2010/11 totalled £1,069,602 – a rise of £42,905 on the previous year.

The trust issued fewer fines, 2,093 compared with 2,654. At the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital Trust, Oswestry, parking income amounted to £303,000 – an increase of £10,000.

The number of fines increased from 1,254 to 1,694.

Any profits from charging are pumped back into car park maintenance and improvements, or supporting clinical services.

Both organisations have a £2 all-day charge.

Across the NHS in England, total profits from parking rose by 14 per cent last year, to around £32 million.

The increase, it has been reported, came as two trusts – West Hertfordshire, and Luton and Dunstable – introduced minimum parking charges of £4.

The charges were condemned as “outrageous” and a “tax on the sick” by the Patients Association, which called on the Coalition to make hospital parking free in England, as it is in Scotland and Wales.

Income

On average, two hours’ hospital parking costs £2.29 – 60 per cent higher than the average for council car parks used by shoppers. Half of all trusts levy a minimum charge, with no free parking except for key groups such as cancer patients.

A statement issued by the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, said: “The income we receive from staff and public car parking contributes towards both the costs of providing and maintaining our car parks and the overall running of clinical services at our hospitals.”

David James, director of operations at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital, said: “Car parking charges are set in order to maintain, and where necessary, upgrade car parking facilities for patients and staff.

“Since the introduction of charges, we have created additional disabled spaces and the new main entrance will provide much better access for patients.”

Age UK said that hospitals must not make car parking charges an unreasonable barrier to getting treatment.

The organisation added that the charges should not unfairly penalise people for visiting relatives when they often help to provide care.

The total paid by patients and visitors to park at hospitals has risen by one-third in three years, from £111 million in 2007/08 to around £149 million in 2010/11.

By Health Correspondent Dave Morris