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An English hospital has broken ranks to become the first in the country to scrap car parking charges for patients and visitors.
Even though the fees are banned in Scotland and Wales, hospitals in England make more than £100million a year from forcing vulnerable patients to pay up before they can park their vehicle.
Now, Trafford General Hospital in Manchester has bucked the trend - announcing that from this summer, patients and visitors can part for free.
Bucking the trend: Trafford General Hospital in Manchester is scrapping car parking fees
But those unlucky enough to have to go to England's 172 other hospital trusts will continue to face hourly rates ranging from 30p to £4 - charges critics have lambasted as a 'tax on the sick'.
Trafford's move is a major victory for the Daily Mail, which has been campaigning against hospital car park charges for years.
MPs have demanded a radical overhaul of the system, which they described as a 'complete mess'.
Expense: Chief executive Ron Calvert said the trust had 'listened carefully to patients'
Tonight, the board of Trafford healthcare trust decided to scrap its charges.
Parking is free at some small community or outpatient facilities in England - but this is the first time a major general hospital has made the change.
The trust said it would benefit many thousands of patients, relatives and other visitors each year.
Chief executive Ron Calvert said: 'We listen carefully to patients and their visitors and it is clear they find paying for hospital parking an unnecessary stress, expense and hassle.
'Our mission is to provide excellent healthcare in a safe, clean and caring environment that puts patients' needs first. That is why we are making Trafford General the first acute hospital to offer free parking to patients and visitors.
'We believe we are leading the way in putting patients' needs first.'
The free parking will come into effect in the summer, when work to improve the car parks is completed.
There will be barrier-controlled entry to the public car parks - but patients and visitors will be given an exit pass entitling them to leave the car parks without paying.
Hospital staff will continue to pay charges.
Last year, the Daily Mail revealed that English hospitals were raking in more than £111million a year for car parking - with 23 trusts collecting more than £1million each from parking in 2007/08.
Top of the list was Addenbroke's, in Cambridge, which collected £2.8million from patients, visitors and staff. Walsgrave Hospital, in Coventry, was close behind, on £2.7million.
The overall amount pocketed by trusts was up from £102million the previous year.
Offender: Walsgrave Hospital, in Coventry collected £2.7million from patients and visitors using its car park
And many hospitals are flouting guidelines which say they must offer discounts to patients being treated for long-term illnesses, by using the ruse of not publicising the scheme.
In May last year, hospital security guard Vicky Winn resigned in protest over having to charge distressed patients to park their cars.
Miss Winn, 44, quit her job at Basildon hospital, in Essex, after she was disciplined for letting cars out without paying.
When Wales announced two years ago that it would scrap charges across the country, the Department of Health in England said it would be 'contrary to the Government's climate change objectives' - because it would encourage people to use cars rather than the bus.
Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Making people in need of hospital treatment cough up twice or even three times for their care is very far from the NHS ideal of free at the point of use.'
By Daniel Martin
Victory for patients as hospital becomes first in England to scrap car parking charges | Mail Online
Even though the fees are banned in Scotland and Wales, hospitals in England make more than £100million a year from forcing vulnerable patients to pay up before they can park their vehicle.
Now, Trafford General Hospital in Manchester has bucked the trend - announcing that from this summer, patients and visitors can part for free.
Bucking the trend: Trafford General Hospital in Manchester is scrapping car parking fees
Trafford's move is a major victory for the Daily Mail, which has been campaigning against hospital car park charges for years.
MPs have demanded a radical overhaul of the system, which they described as a 'complete mess'.
Expense: Chief executive Ron Calvert said the trust had 'listened carefully to patients'
Parking is free at some small community or outpatient facilities in England - but this is the first time a major general hospital has made the change.
The trust said it would benefit many thousands of patients, relatives and other visitors each year.
Chief executive Ron Calvert said: 'We listen carefully to patients and their visitors and it is clear they find paying for hospital parking an unnecessary stress, expense and hassle.
'Our mission is to provide excellent healthcare in a safe, clean and caring environment that puts patients' needs first. That is why we are making Trafford General the first acute hospital to offer free parking to patients and visitors.
'We believe we are leading the way in putting patients' needs first.'
The free parking will come into effect in the summer, when work to improve the car parks is completed.
There will be barrier-controlled entry to the public car parks - but patients and visitors will be given an exit pass entitling them to leave the car parks without paying.
Hospital staff will continue to pay charges.
Last year, the Daily Mail revealed that English hospitals were raking in more than £111million a year for car parking - with 23 trusts collecting more than £1million each from parking in 2007/08.
Top of the list was Addenbroke's, in Cambridge, which collected £2.8million from patients, visitors and staff. Walsgrave Hospital, in Coventry, was close behind, on £2.7million.
The overall amount pocketed by trusts was up from £102million the previous year.
Offender: Walsgrave Hospital, in Coventry collected £2.7million from patients and visitors using its car park
And many hospitals are flouting guidelines which say they must offer discounts to patients being treated for long-term illnesses, by using the ruse of not publicising the scheme.
In May last year, hospital security guard Vicky Winn resigned in protest over having to charge distressed patients to park their cars.
Miss Winn, 44, quit her job at Basildon hospital, in Essex, after she was disciplined for letting cars out without paying.
When Wales announced two years ago that it would scrap charges across the country, the Department of Health in England said it would be 'contrary to the Government's climate change objectives' - because it would encourage people to use cars rather than the bus.
Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Making people in need of hospital treatment cough up twice or even three times for their care is very far from the NHS ideal of free at the point of use.'
By Daniel Martin
Victory for patients as hospital becomes first in England to scrap car parking charges | Mail Online
