A NORTH-EAST NHS Trust received more than £1.3m in parking charges from staff in a year - as a total of £16m was raised by hospital car parks in the region.

Most recent data from NHS Digital revealed how much money was spent by patients, staff and visitors on car parks at NHS Trusts in the North-East and North Yorkshire.

Analysis of the data shows that a total of £16,341,093 was collected by NHS Trusts at hospitals across the region, with £6,214,049 paid by staff.

The South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs six hospitals including James Cook University Hospital and The Friarage, collected the most from staff parking.

Meanwhile the York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs eight hospitals, collected the least amount of money from staff in car parks.

Here's how much money was raised by your NHS Trust across all hospital sites:

Most recent NHS Digital data recorded between 2017 and 2018.

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

  • £801,496 from patients and visitors
  • £250,199 from staff

Total: £1,051,695 

Gateshead Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

  • £687,268 from patients and visitors
  • £182,691 from staff

Total: £869,959

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

  • £719,471 from patients and visitors
  • £766,218 from staff

Total: £1,485,689

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust

  • £1,211,383 from patients and visitors
  • £728,173 from staff

Total: £1,939,556

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

  • £1,425,116 from patients and visitors
  • £1,330,495 from staff

Total: £2,755,611

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

  • £1,366,756 from patients and visitors
  • £713,402 from staff

Total: £2,080,158

Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS Hospitals

  • £2,165,540 from patients and visitors
  • £1,231,545 from staff

Total: £3,397,085

York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

  • £1,596,538 from patients and visitors
  • £448,287 from staff

Total: £2,044,825

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust

  • £563,039 from patients and visitors
  • £153,476 from staff

Total: £716,515

The Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS (mental health) Foundation Trust recorded £0 for both visitor and staff charges in the data provided by NHS Digital.

Where does income from NHS hospital car parks go?

NHS Trusts say the money raised from parking is used to ensure hospital car parks are safe, clean, accessible and well-lit for patients, staff and visitors.

They say that any additional funds that are raised are reinvested back into the trust for the benefit of patients.

But the government is facing criticism over its plans to end free parking for the majority of hospital staff in England, introduced during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Wednesday, the government said the support of free parking "cannot continue indefinitely," but promised to support "key patient groups."