NHS hospital staff will be facing a £90-a-year hike in parking costs.

Staff parking charges were removed for the two years of the pandemic but have returned this month, with an increase.This change now makes the typical NHS staffer in England pay approximately £1,000 to per/year park at work.

Reactions from NHS staff

GMB National Officer, Rachel Harrison, voiced how the parking fees are an insult. She said: "We think it's an appalling decision. The timing of it is even more insulting, especially during the cost of living crisis."The Government has no understanding of what the NHS is facing. We're two years through a pandemic which is not over. Staff are absolutely exhausted and this is just another thing to discourage them from staying in the NHS. We're seeing an exodus."NHS staff parking is free in both Wales and Scotland. However, Nurse Ian Wilson pays £8 a day to park at a London Hospital. Discussing the fee update he said, "We are still working flat-out for patients day and night. It feels spiteful to be made to pay money to the car park landlords again – and if we don't pay correctly, get repeated fines and court threats."

The number of NHS trusts that charge staff for parking has decreased. In 2019/20, 159 trusts charged their staff to park their car however that number has now decreased to 72.Psychiatric therapy services nurse, Karen Reissman said she was "fuming" when the news on the increased fee "went round like wildfire".She continued, "We've taken year after year of pay cuts. You wonder at what point they will stop making us pay for something that's not our problem."The rising cost of staff parking has raised concerns of pushing more staff away from the NHS. In February, a record number of more than 400 workers left the NHS in a week.