Over half of cancer patients ‘are charged for parking’

More than 50 per cent of patients being treated for cancer in the UK are currently being made to pay to put their vehicles in hospital car parks.

This is according to a survey undertaken by Macmillan Cancer Support, which concluded that car parking systems for those suffering from the disease are unfair and disorganised.

Although fees fluctuate across various hospitals in England, other parts of the UK have scrapped them completely.

Head of policy at Macmillan Mike Hobday said that the issue is a source of “unnecessary financial hardship and stress” for cancer patients.

“Frustratingly, even when hospitals have got concessions in place, they are not telling patients about them,” he explained.

In March last year, Wales announced that it would ban car parking fees in its hospitals by 2011.