Parking charges being reintroduced for hospital staff are a “stealth tax” according to union leaders.
By Miles Davis www.bbc.co.uk
Staff at Royal Devon and Exeter (RD&E) sites and at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) will have to pay once again for parking from 1 September.
More staff at the main RD&E site will also not be able to park on site as a “green zone” is extended.
Hospital bosses say the sites are among the last in the country to reintroduce parking charges scrapped during Covid.
Staff at RD&E will continue to be able to use the Digby Park and Ride service for free.
‘Unfair’
Helga Pile, deputy head of health at the Unison union, said: “These parking charges are a stealth tax that health workers can’t afford. No trusts should be imposing them on staff especially given the current cost-of-living crisis.
“Not only is such a policy unfair, but staff could quit as a result. This is at a time when the NHS is struggling to fill vacancies.”
Julie Connolly, senior officer for Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Devon said it was “more important than ever” for nursing staff not to have to worry about finding somewhere safe to park or facing additional expense.
She said: “Like many hospitals the demand for parking spaces outstrips supply. Congestion around hospital sites has increased over time and is the cause of stress and frustration for staff, patients and visitors alike.
“In the short and medium term, the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust needs to continue to work with staff, the local council and other partners to alleviate pressure on parking across all its sites and to ensure the safety of staff arriving at and leaving their work places.”
Staff who live within 1.5 mile (2.4km) of the RD&E Wonford site are currently not eligible for a travel pass to park on the site from 08:00 to 16:00.
From Monday that area, referred to as the “green zone”, will be extended to cover staff who live within 2 miles (3.2km) of the site.
‘Air quality’
The parking charges for staff will be reintroduced from 1 September.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “Free staff parking was introduced at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, and when national funding was removed in April 2022, the trust chose to continue with free parking to support colleagues.
“We are currently one of the last remaining trusts to offer free parking.
“This will also help us manage demand for our car parks as well as encourage more sustainable travel choices, in order to improve air quality.”
East Devon Watch 
I don’t support this tax on staff.
Past correspondence with the authority suggested charges would not be made. If staff are expected to use Park and Ride for free, that suggests there is not a monetary incentive/need for the authority. Under the new scheme operating at present there have always been empty spaces whenever I have been there, at all hours, so space doesn’t seem to be an issue either.
We have seen appalling examples where staff charges do apply, of staff detained by additional workload have come out of their work in the small hours and found to have exceeded parking limits. All sorts of fines can come in when they charge, and staff can easily end up being fined just for staying on to care for people.
We should support staff not penalise them.
One question I have is whether or not the Digby Park and Ride is a 24 hour service as is the service RD&E staff provide to us?
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