Give cruel car parking charges the boot from England

A new online game |is encouraging people to outwit Warden Gordon to stop him putting hefty parking tickets on to cancer patients’ cars. Leading cancer charity Macmillan Cancer Support is calling on the public to help it stamp out these cruel parking charges once and for all in England, by signing its petition |.

To mark the first anniversary of free hospital parking in Scotland on 31 December, Macmillan is calling on the Westminster Government to follow the other nations’ lead and abolish hospital parking charges for cancer patients in England too.

For many patients like Karen, 46, from Berkshire, who has to go to two hospitals for treatment for her breast cancer, finding the money to park her car is a major worry.

'I have to attend two hospitals and have to pay to park at both.  I’m unable to work and on minimum benefits so I just don’t have the money for this, I can’t even afford bread and milk some days. Worse, I’ve even been late for appointments because I didn’t have the right change for the machines. It’s making me stressed and distressed on top of the worry about my cancer.'

Ciarán Devane, Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, says:

'Paying hospital parking car parking charges is not a game, it’s a tax on illness. Please sign our petition |to ask Gordon Brown to see sense and bring in free hospital parking for cancer patients in England.

'It is morally wrong that English cancer patients are still being forced to fork out parking charges just so they can get to their life saving treatment.'

Fifteen years ago cancer patients stayed in hospitals as in‐patients, so would not need to travel for care. But now, with modern treatments, patients can be treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy on a day basis then go home, making them vulnerable to car park charges.

Hospitals save £6,000 by delivering a 6-week course of radiotherapy as an outpatient - money which could, and should, be used to help all cancer patients with the cost of parking.

- ENDS -

For further information, please contact:

Anna Brosnan, Macmillan Cancer Support
0207 840 7818 (out of hours 07801 307068)
abrosnan@macmillan.org.uk|

Notes to Editors:

Links:

Car parking game: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/wardenbrown |
Car parking pledge: http://e-activist.com/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=70&ea.campaign.id=2608 |
Car parking information: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/parking |
Image of the game: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Images/GetInvolved/Campaigns/Parking/CarParkingGame.jpg |

1) A study by Macmillan Cancer Support found that patients with cancer visit hospital 53 times on average - and pay £325 to park their car. 

2) Macmillan’s hospital car parking campaign began in 2004. So far we have successfully lobbied for hospital car parking for cancer patients in Wales (free parking at all NHS hospitals except private contracts from April 1 ^st 2008, all by 2011), Northern Ireland (May 21 2008, free parking for cancer patients announced) and Scotland (free parking for all but three PFI hospitals from  31 December 2008).

3) As part of the local decision making agenda in England, hospital trusts have been given responsibility to determine their own car parking policies. However the Department of Health issued guidance in December 2006, which states: 'NHS bodies are strongly recommended to have some kind of ‘season ticket’ arrangement, allowing free or reduced price parking for patients (and relatives/prime visitors of patients) with a long-term illness or serious condition requiring regular treatment.'

In the summer Macmillan revealed that 60 per cent of patients weren’t offered discounted or free parking at their local hospital, despite guidance by the Department of Health stating this should happen.

4) Patients can get help with costs through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS), and many hospitals offer concessions, but these are often poorly promoted by hospitals. Patients are encouraged to ask if they are entitled to discounted parking.

About Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan Cancer Support improves the lives of people affected by cancer, providing practical, medical, emotional and financial support. Working alongside people affected by cancer, Macmillan works to improve cancer care.

For more information about Macmillan Cancer Support, visit www.macmillan.org.uk| or freephone 0800 500 800 for an information pack.