PATIENTS, visitors and health workers have had to pay nearly £1million to park at Glasgow's hospitals since charges were introduced last year.

An Evening Times investigation found drivers forked out £651,202 in charges - and a further £302,220 has been paid by staff for permits.

But figures released under freedom of information laws show that despite the massive amount earned by the controversial charges, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is still operating its car parks at a loss.

The charges brought in £953,422 -but bosses at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spent £957,886 on running the car parks - a deficit of £4464.

Their outgoings included spending £29,567 on stationery and producing the permits and £11,100 was spent on the ticket machines.

Security and operating costs at the car parks came to £527,257 and £42,761 went on green transport schemes.

The rest - £347,201 - was spent on capital costs.

Glasgow MSP Bob Doris of the SNP said: "Making a million pounds out of ill health is appalling. The board should be ashamed of themselves.

"They were so keen to levy these charges at hospitals that didn't need them, where there was no problem, like Stobhill. There is an issue with the problem of congestion at some hospitals, and it is up to the health board to put forward a solution."

Health bosses said all the money had been reinvested in parking facilities at hospital sites following government guidance.

In a statement, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "We are putting plans in place to implement the Government's revised policy by the end of the year, however charges will remain in force until then.

"Scottish Government Health Department guidance specifies that income generated from car parking should not be used to offset other NHS expenditure on services - it must be reinvested in meeting the costs of car parks.

"We fully adhere to this guidance with income generated from car parking being used to fund improved car park layouts, security, lighting, maintenance, disabled access and our green transport initiatives such as the zone card travel scheme.

"The board is also committed to transparency in the use of income generated and to providing this information in the form of an annual trading account to the Scottish Government."

The health union Unison has always condemned the charges.

Regional officer Matt McLaughlin said: "No one benefits from these charges.

"There is a whole host of people who lose out. Staff are forced to pay what is effectively an extra tax to come to work.

"Patients and visitors need to pay to go to hospital, which defeats the whole point of the NHS being free at the point of use.

"We also know local communities are losing out because people are parking off-site to avoid the charges, causing chaos for communities."

Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced in September that car parking charges would be abolished at NHS hospitals by the end of this year.

Yesterday she told the Evening Times: "The NHS should be free at the point of delivery and it is my firm belief that this should apply whether one comes to hospital as a patient, visitor or a member of staff.

"It's simply not fair to expect patients or visitors to have to pay when they come to hospital, when they may be suffering personal anxiety, stress or grief. Put bluntly, a car parking charge is often the last thing people need."

Mr Doris said the board would have taken in much more cash if Government had not capped the amount they were allowed to charge at £3 a day.

He added: "Originally they planned to charge people £12 a day. Think how much more they would have taken in. The figures revealed by the Evening Times show how detrimental it is to put a profit motive into health care."

While the Scottish Government has ended charges at most hospitals, they will remain in force at the privately financed car park at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Mr Doris said it would be too expensive for Government to buy out the contract at the Royal, but added: "The private company at the Royal should now reduce these charges."

Charges for parking in Glasgow's hospitals were introduced from July last year. The Western Infirmary, Yorkhill, the Victoria Infirmary, Gartnavel, Stobhill and the Southern General were all affected. The charges will be scrapped at these hospitals by January 1, 2009.

11 November 2008

By Ewan Fergus