HOSPITAL parking charges in and around Swindon have brought in more than £1.7m in the last year, new figures reveal.

Data obtained via a Freedom of Information request show the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust took in £1,744,240 in car parking charges in 2015/16.

This equates to around £5,000 per day.

Figures requested by the Press Association from 89 trusts across the country, show car parking charges add up to more than £120,662,650, up from £114,873,867 the year before.

Half of the trusts, including GWH, made more than £1m in a year in fees.

Between 6am and 6pm car parking at the Great Western Hospital is free for 0-20 minutes, £1 per hour for up to four hours, £6.50 for four to six hours and £8 for six to 24 hours.

From 6pm to 6am car parking is £1 for up to two hours and £2 for more than two hours. There is no charge for disabled parking spaces.

In July last year parking charges for Great Western Hospital staff were increased by 50 per cent to £1.50 while night workers who were previously exempt from charges between 7pm to 7am also began to pay.

Despite Great Western Hospital saying the charges were implemented to fund an expansion of the car park, the trust say there are no plans to discontinue charges now the 400 new spaces are in operation.

The trust has defended the charges, saying they go back into funding patient care or car park maintenance.

A Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: “Without charging for parking the cost of managing, maintaining and developing our car parks would need to be covered by other funds, taking money away from patient services.

“Costs include lighting, security, staff, ground maintenance and ticket machines.

"Where possible, we also use funds to make improvements and have recently extended our staff car park, making it easier for staff to park and freeing up spaces in our visitor car parks.

“We offer concessions to patients, visitors and carers whose stay in hospital is longer than expected, who must regularly attend hospital, who have very serious or life threatening conditions or who have a partner in labour. Disabled drivers with a blue badge park for free.”

Only 27 trusts responded to a question about parking fines, but they showed over £2m had been collected in a four year period, with over £635,000 collected this year alone.

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust made the most out of parking, with £4,841,108 collected.

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients' Association, said hospitals were “taking money from the sick and vulnerable to top up NHS coffers”.

“This is not what car parking charges should be used for. The NHS is clearly underfunded, but the onus on meeting the funding crisis should most certainly not be shouldered by the sick, injured and vulnerable,” she said.