Queen Elizabeth Hospital staff to get refunds for pandemic parking charges

Staff at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and other sites run by the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) have been promised a refund on parking fees they have paid since last year.

Some employees at England's biggest hospital trust could now get hundreds of pounds each backdated to last August when the hospital trust scrapped a commitment to offer free parking during the pandemic.

NHS staff were offered free parking across the country last year after the Government told hospital trusts they would be compensated for the lost income.

However, UHB reimposed charges in August last year.

A spokesman for the trust, which employs some 20,000 people, said the changes were agreed last week as a result of clarification from NHS England regarding how the trust will be reimbursed.

In a letter sent to hospital finance bosses on March 23, the NHS England chief financial officer Julian Kelly reiterated that hospital parking should be free for staff during the pandemic and explained how the money would be paid to trusts.

UHB has also agreed in principle to suspend further deductions until June, when Covid-19 lockdown restrictions are set to be lifted under the Goverment's roadmap.

UHB runs Queen Elizabeth, Good Hope, Solihull and Heartlands hospitals and has been hard-hit by coronavirus, with more than 2,500 patients dying in its care - more than any other English trust.

Union Unison, which complained about the costs on behalf of its 6,000 members that work at UHB, said the parking fees were an unfair levy on hardworking staff.

However the trust has said the union's claim that members could be in line for £800 refunds is incorrect, citing a maximum monthly parking charge of £40 for staff on salaries of more than £67,000.

Unison's £800 calculation was based off a monthly charge of £100.

Chanel Willis, Unison West Midlands regional organiser, said: “These charges were unfair, inappropriate and essentially a tax on staff who have given their all during the pandemic.

“UHB shouldn’t have been charging employees for coming to work so everyone else could stay safe. Unison is glad the trust has seen sense and promised to refund the money.

“Hard-pressed staff should have been due a pay rise today and will appreciate the extra cash in their pockets.”