Jack Sargeant: “NHS charges for parking and prescriptions only apply in England, not Wales”
Jack Sargeant MS says he has had a flurry of constituents contact him worried about charges being levied by the health service in England.
They include a consultation on charging 60–65-year-olds for prescription and hospital car parking charges for NHS in England.
The MS is reassuring constituents that the Welsh Government do not charge for prescriptions nor hospital car parking.
With the cost of living crisis biting, He said “residents are fearful of the situation and got in touch to check.”
Prescription charges in England are £9.35 per item and the UK Government are consulting on introducing charges for 60–65-year-olds.
This is being resisted by prominent charities like Age UK which says it “is a bitter pill to swallow for millions in this age group, especially if their income is modest but takes them just above the benefit line.”
Free parking for NHS hospital staff in England introduced as a result of the pandemic will also end today, the UK government has said.
Parking fees were waived in March 2020, but Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the pandemic had moved to a new stage.
Parking at all NHS hospitals in Wales has been free since 2018.
Jack said: “This is a border constituency and residents are very aware of what is happening in England, and I want them to understand that these attacks on older residents and NHS staff by the Tory Government in England and are not happening in Wales.”
He said it is not “acceptable to charge for prescriptions or profit from NHS staff who need to drive to work. These are our frontline heroes, and the Tories should be ashamed.”
“All this is of course on top of the Tory cost of living crisis which is hitting households across the country. Their refusal to act on energy bills and these charges mean times will be even tougher for residents in England.”
“I am writing to the UK Government to express my alarm about Alyn and Deeside residents who work for the English NHS having to pay to park at hospitals like the Countess of Chester.”
