Price hikes come into force at hospital car parks in Telford and Shrewsbury
Hikes in parking charges at the county's two emergency hospitals have come into force today.
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The Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) parking charges apply to both Princess Royal Hospital in Telford (PRH) and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
When it announced the planned hikes in February SaTH said they are to "ensure the trust can cover the many costs associated with running and maintaining the car parks at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and William Farr House".
The charges are now as follows:
Up to 20 mins - free
Up to one hour - £4
Up to two hours - £5.50
Up to three hours - £6.50
Up to four hours - £7.50
24 hours - £9.50
The trust said it is the first increase in charges for patients and visitors since 2021.
It said the decision was being taken due to rising costs, essential upgrades and investment in parking alternatives, such as a park & ride to create more capacity.
Concessions currently in place for some patients and their relatives will remain and are unaffected by the changes.
Those include blue badge holders, patients receiving renal dialysis or cancer treatment, those visiting the hospital for issues connected to bereavement, parents of sick children staying overnight and frequent attenders.
The trust added that all the money from parking is used to pay for the maintenance of the car parks, off-site car parking and the Park & Ride service.
It has also made a commitment that any surplus will be reinvested into further easing car parking and frontline services.
For more information on parking charges and the Park & Ride service at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital visit: www.sath.nhs.uk/patients-visitors/getting-to-us/
