The NHS trust which runs Watford General Hospital raked in more than £2.5million in parking fees in a year, latest figures reveal.

The West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust earned a total of £2,516,238 from parking charges between April 1 2022 and March 31 2023, up from £652,665 the same period the previous year. 

Hospital parking fees were scrapped during the coronavirus pandemic and the trust said its finances had benefited from their reintroduction in its 2023 annual report.

Staff at Watford General Hospital, St Albans City Hospital and Hemel Hempstead Hospital spent £794,757 on parking in 2022/2023 after the charges were reintroduced for staff in May 2022.

The trust also collected £1,721,481 from patients and visitors during the same period after the free parking policy for visitors was rescinded in August 2021.

The figures represent a 385 per cent increase in parking fee revenues in just one year.

A spokesperson for the West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: “The figures for 2022/23 represent a full year of parking income post COVID, and do not compare to the previous year, during which staff parking charges were suspended.

“The trust complies with the NHS car parking guidance 2022 by offering free parking to disabled people, frequent outpatient attenders and parents of sick children staying overnight. Staff who work nights are also given free parking. 

“The income that the trust receives from parking helps to pay for wider services. Our staff and patient parking charges are comparable to other NHS trusts with the East of England region.”

The hospital trust said staff have the option to pay for parking through a one per cent salary deduction, which is capped at £100 per month and does not apply to overtime.

It said it is also working on a pay-as-you-park option for staff which it hopes to introduce in early 2024.

Watford General Hospital opened a new 1,455-capacity multi-storey car park in April 2022 and raised hourly prices at the same time.

The latest figures show revenues rose above pre-pandemic levels as the hospital trust collected £2 million from parking charges in 2019/20 and £2.1 million in 2018/19.

Lib Dem health and social care spokesperson and MP for St Albans Daisy Cooper said: “Hospital car parking fees are becoming a tax on caring for visitors and our hard-working NHS staff.

“This Conservative government is utterly failing to deliver on their promise to crack down on unfair hospital parking fees, and people are literally paying the price.”

Watford MP Dean Russell said: “The Conservative Government has delivered on our manifesto pledge to end unfair charges for those in greatest need. This includes disabled people, people attending frequent outpatient appointments, parents of children staying overnight and staff working night shifts.

"This will help to eliminate costs for those in need whilst making sure there are enough spaces for everyone else. As of October 2022, all  trusts that charge for car parking have implemented this commitment.

"The Lib Dems should come clean as to which services they would cut to subsidise parking further.

"Rather than expecting the NHS, and therefore the taxpayer to cover the costs, I have been developing a policy idea which I am hoping to explore further in Parliament later this year to encourage and allow advertising and sponsorship of NHS car parks and parking spaces which would provide free or reduced car parking charges for all at no cost to the taxpayer. I will share more on this later this year."