Parking charges set to rise at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds
Parking charges are set to rise for patients, visitors and staff at West Suffolk Hospital due to inflation and costs.
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT) has announced that prices at the Bury St Edmunds hospital will increase in line with inflation on an annual basis.
From Tuesday, April 1, parking for up to an hour for patients and visitors will rise from £2.30 to £2.70, for one to two hours from £4.40 to £5.30, two to three hours from £6.70 to £8, three to four hours from £8.80 to £10.50, four to five hours from £11.10 to £13.20 and more than five hours from £13.20 to £15.80.
Charges for colleagues using the on-site staff car parks will increase in line with the consumer price index of 3.5 per cent.
Jonathan Rowell, interim chief finance officer for WSFT, said: “To mitigate against rising costs of inflation and as part of an annual price review, the trust has taken the decision to increase car parking charges.
“We understand this may impact on the budgets of our staff, patients, and visitors and offer free parking and concessionary rates for patients and families in need, to support them when they are unwell.
“Any surplus income the trust makes from car parking is reinvested into patient care and services after regular, operational car park expenses are deducted.”
While patient and visitor charges increased for the first time since 2019 last year, in line with the value of inflation (as per the consumer price index) at the time, the hike this year takes account of the full inflationary changes over that five-year period.
Concessionary rates will be rise in line with the current rate of inflation (3.5 per cent consumer price index) for a weekly ticket from £31.30 to £32.40 and a carers daily rate from £3.10 to £3.20.
Free parking arrangements are available for those including blue badge holders, Macmillan unit outpatients, parents of babies admitted to the neo-natal unit, high-risk antenatal patients and cardiac rehab patients, phototherapy patients, families of end of life patients and frequent outpatient attenders.
Weekly tickets are available at a reduced rate for patients/visitors needing to attend on a regular basis.
There are reduced rate daily tickets for family carers, patients receiving universal credit and those staying 20 minutes or less in the front car park and 30 minutes at the back with various drop off/pick up points available around the West Suffolk Hospital site.
