Visitors and patients at hospitals operated by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will pay for parking again from today (Mon 30 November).

Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley Hospital suspended payments for parking from March.

But chief executive of the NHS Trust, Karen Partington, outlined the move in a letter to staff.

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She said: “We have been very pleased to provide free car parking to staff, visitors and patients during the last eight months.

“This has enabled our car parks to be used more flexible and with fewer visitors on site, staff have sometimes made use of visitor car parking.

“However, in the winter period our hospitals are busier than ever, and it has become necessary to re-introduce some car park management processes rather than continue with the first come first served approach adopted during the early stages of the pandemic.”

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Mrs Partington said in line with East Lancashire and the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay the car parking charges would be reintroduced.

She said: “We understand we are amongst the last (NHS Trusts) to do so.

“NHS Trusts are not funded to provide free car parking, and the revenue raised from this will be used to controbute to patient care.”

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The Trust confirmed ‘for the forseeable future’ free staff car parking would continue at RPH and a number of off-site car parks, but staff must have appropriate permits.

Concessions for a number of patients and visitors are to be continued, the full list can be found on the trust’s website.

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