I feel sorry for my relatives that live South of the Border.
You guys get screwed in so many ways and when I read stories like this I am so glad I have returned home.
The much touted NHS.
Labour triumph!
Cradle to the grave!
Rich and poor a like!
And in England £111 Million better off due to car parking charges.
The overall amount made by NHS trusts was up from the £102 million they made the previous year, with 23 hospitals collecting more than £1 million each from parking during 2007-08.
Addenbrooke's in Cambridge came top of the list, making £2.8 million from patients, according to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats. Welsgrave Hospital in Coventry made £2.7 million, while Southampton General made £2 million.
Duleep Allirajah, policy manager from Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "It is appalling that hospitals are making money from vulnerable patients, visitors and staff and that their profits are increasing year on year. It is morally wrong that cancer patients undergoing regular treatment for a potentially life-threatening disease should be forced to pay unavoidable travel costs such as hospital parking.
"Hospitals are either ignoring guidance issued over two years ago, which said that people travelling regularly to hospital must get free or reduced parking, or not making patients aware of the concessions they have in place."
Michael Summers, vice chairman of the Patients Association, added: "It seems to be absolutely immoral – as well as just plain greedy – to make such sums of money out of patients who are ill. When you go into hospital for a test or for an operation, the last thing you need is the extra worry of wondering whether you're going to find your car clamped when you get outside."
Earlier this year the NHS Confederation said that cark parking fees were "often necessary" because running car parks was expensive, while they were also useful to deter non-visitors from taking up space. Well that is the case when you get cowboy contractors to run the carpark for you on stupid 10 year contract arrangements
Oh and for the record, charges have been abolished in all but three hospitals in Scotland while they are all being phased out in Wales.
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