The NHS Trust that runs York Hospital will reintroduce staff parking charges from June with the use of number plate recognition cameras.
The York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has said that it will reintroduce staff parking charges from 12 June after they were suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The parking charges are set to be standardised across sites with different rates depending on pay bands.
As part of the plan, automatic number plate recognition technology and replacement barriers are being installed at York, Scarborough, and Bridlington according to an email sent to staff.
A spokesperson for the Trust said: “The government’s financial support for providing free car parking for all NHS staff during the pandemic ended on April 1 2022, and although as a trust we are not funded to provide free parking for staff, we chose not to reintroduce parking charges immediately despite many trusts doing so.”
They added: “There was a difference in rates across sites which was perceived to be unfair as staff on the same bands and in the same roles were charged differently depending on their base site.
“The decision was made to move towards a single rate across the trust in several incremental steps, and this began before the pandemic.”
Sarah Dodsworth, regional director for the Royal College of Nursing in Yorkshire and the Humber said: “Like many hospitals the demand for parking spaces always outstrips supply.
“Congestion around hospital sites has increased over time and is the cause of stress and frustration for staff, patients, and visitors alike.”
She added: “It is more important than ever that nursing staff can travel to their place of work without the worry of car parking and parking charges, especially when they are working long hours or extra shifts or trying to make ends meet as the cost of living continues to increase.”
As part of the planned change, staff who do not drive to work will be able to make use of free bus travel to and from work in York and Scarborough.