Car parking charges
11 December 2008
Patients and their relatives may have seen a BBC1 programme about hospital charges on Wednesday 11 December—‘Dom’s on the Case’—which included claims that Chelsea and Westminster Hospital charges patients more to park here than Chelsea football fans.
Patients and their relatives may have seen a BBC1 programme about hospital charges on Wednesday 11 December—‘Dom’s on the Case’—which included claims that Chelsea and Westminster Hospital charges patients more to park here than Chelsea football fans.
The programme stated that the car park “could be cheaper if you are a football fan than if you are a patient” despite the fact that the Trust issued a statement to the BBC stating categorically that “Chelsea fans are charged a flat fee of £10 for 3 hours – hospital patients, their relatives and hospital staff who are not eligible for free parking still pay substantially less than football fans because they are charged £7.50 for 3 hours at weekends and £3 for 3 hours on weekday evenings”.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital also provides free parking for a number of different patient and relative groups including cancer patients receiving regular chemotherapy treatment. In fact, Macmillan Cancer Support has praised the hospital for providing free parking for cancer patients receiving regular chemotherapy treatment.
The hospital actively promotes the car park to Chelsea football fans on match days at Stamford Bridge to generate extra income which offsets this free parking. Matches take place on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and on weekday evenings when the car park tends to be less busy and therefore there is free capacity for the hospital to generate extra income.
The Trust has made a formal complaint to the BBC about the factual accuracy of the programme.