After the union UNISON wrote to four of the region's NHS trusts telling them that reintroducing staff parking charges "could mean them quitting" amid the cost of living crisis, some - but not all - have told ChronicleLive they are still offering free parking despite the end of a Government subsidy.
The union wrote to bosses at hospital trusts which had not yet ruled out reintroducing car parking fees for staff - in our area these were Northumbria Healthcare, Gateshead Health, County Durham and Darlington and South Tyneside and Sunderland trusts. The letter said hospitals must "defy" the Government's end to free parking for NHS staff.
In response Northumbria Healthcare said it had not reintroduced parking charges, while the County Durham and Darlington trust said it was "reviewing its position". The Gateshead trust which runs the QE pointed to a range of measures including an official partnership with Citizens' Advice as ways it is supporting its staff through the cost of living crisis.
