Car parking charges are being reintroduced at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Parking has been free at the hospital throughout the pandemic but the decision has been made to reinstate charges for patients and visitors from Monday, August 8.

Charges are also being reintroduced at the two other hospitals run by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust - the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch and Kidderminster Hospital.

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A statement on the trust’s Facebook page said: “We've been providing free car parking throughout the Covid pandemic, but having lifted visiting restrictions back in June, we will finally reintroduce car parking charges for patients and visitors on Monday (8 August).

“We have continued to offer free parking for much longer than many other NHS trusts, but with the number of patients and visitors coming onto our sites increasing, parking charges for patients and visitors will be reintroduced from Monday at each of our three hospitals.”

How much does it cost to park at Worcestershire Royal Hospital?

From Monday, the parking charges at Worcestershire Royal Hospital will be as follows:

Up to 1 hour - £3

Up to 2 hours - £4

Up to 3 hours - £5

Up to 4 hours - £6

Up to 5 hours - £6.50

Up to 6 hours - £7.50

Up to 7 hours - £8.50

Up to 8 hours - £8.50

Up to 24 hours - £9

The trust said that, as before, some patients receiving regular care will be eligible for a reduced-fee parking pass.

Concession application forms are available from a number of hospital departments including terminally ill, cardiac exercise, the coronary care unit (CCU), intensive therapy unit/critical care unit (ITU), oncology, paediatrics, bereavement, renal unit and long stay.

Figures released last year showed that, in the year up to March 2020, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust made £2.4 million through parking charges and penalty fines.

Of that, £1.8 million was paid by patients and visitors, while £613,910 was raked in through charging staff to park.