Sir, is it reasonable to expect NHS staff to pay to come to work? More and more hospitals are asking hospital staff to pay car parking fees in order to gain extra funds. In some hospitals the amount paid is proportional to the amount one earns, but in others (such as mine) a set fee is payable per day, regardless of income. For those lower down the pay scale, such as domestic and ancillary staff, this may be a considerable chunk of their wages. It might be acceptable if one could actually find a parking space without having to hunt for a spot for half an hour.

In addition, surely there should be some concession for very ill individuals (eg cancer patients) and their immediate families, who, at present, are running up hefty car parking bills. I understand hospitals want to discourage people who are not attending hospital from using their car parks but maybe the Department of Health could set a limit for the maximum car parking charges individual NHS trusts can impose. Perhaps they could also specify that if staff do have to pay parking fees, it should be in line with what they earn, and they should be guaranteed a parking space.