Great Western Hospital raised millions of pounds through charging staff, patients, and visitors to park last year

NHS Digital data shows GWH NHS Foundation Trust made around £2.2 million through charges and fines in the year to March 2020.

Of that, £1.4m was paid by patients and visitors, while £768,640 came in through charging staff.

Figures reveal that patients and visitors paid an average hourly rate of £1.10 at the most expensive of the trust’s three sites, while staff spent 13p per hour at the priciest spot.

Trade union GMB said it is 'sickening' that nurses, midwives, and cleaners in many trusts across the country have had to shell out money to park at their place of work.

A GWH spokeswoman said: “Throughout the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Trust made car parking free for staff, patients and visitors.

“Following advice from the government, the parking charges for patients and visitors were reintroduced at the end of last year but we have continued to keep parking free for staff at the current time, in line with NHS England guidance.”

The Trust says the fees are re-invested and pay for maintenance and other work that needs to be done every year. “Although parking is currently free for staff, when charges were in place these were at discounted rates,” the spokeswoman said.

“Prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we encouraged people to use greener forms of transport to get to and from the hospital. However those people who have continued to use public transport over recent months should of course wear a face mask and socially distance at all times when travelling.”

Across England, NHS trusts raised £289 million from parking charges – nearly a third coming from staff parking, generating £90 million over the year. The figures represent the gross income earned by the NHS and do not take into account its own costs for providing car parking.

Workers are losing £2 or more from their pay packet every hour at the most expensive car parks nationally, the data shows.

Trade union GMB said charging NHS staff to park at work is 'disgraceful'.

The union’s national officer Rachel Harrison said: “Government cuts have inflicted a heavy toll on the NHS, but trusts should not be clawing that cash back by charging the people we rely on to keep us alive.”

The government announced last year that it would cover the costs of providing free car parking to NHS staff working in hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic. However, it said the scheme would end in all but 'certain circumstances' as the pandemic eased over the summer.

Ms Harrison added that it was “sickening” to see parking charges reintroduced charges for staff by some trusts.

“Ministers must now support our healthcare heroes by enforcing free staff parking and scrapping plans to reintroduce charges once the pandemic ends.”