PARENTS of children with serious illnesses have condemned a hospital trust for pulling the plug on free parking.

Around 70 mums and dads have joined forces to campaign against the withdrawal of free parking which has previously been on offer within children’s services at the Great North Children’s Hospital, at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle.

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust pinned up posters about the change about one week before it went into effect on November 6 - a decision which will have financial implications on families throughout the north of England.

Athene Wherrett, of Middlesbrough, has helped set up the Say no to Great North Children’s Hospital parking charges group.

She makes at least one trip to the hospital per week where her four-year-old son Felix is being treated for aplastic anaemia.

“Families are very scared because they are already spending an extra £367 a month to have a seriously ill child, according to CLIC Sargent,” said Mrs Wherrett. “They are getting by at the minute but this could be the thing that pushes them over the edge.”

In the RVI’s multi-storey car park, costs currently stand at £8 for ten hours and £14 for more than ten hours.

Families including Danielle and Colin Johnson, of Bishop Middleham, County Durham, whose daughter Rosa has cancer, fear the price will rack up as they make their weekly or daily trips which can often turn into a number of days or weeks.

“I’m actually quite angry because we’re not there because we want to be,” added the mother-of-five. “We are there because our children are seriously seriously ill. I understand hospitals have to make these decisions because of financial difficulties but I don’t think children who are seriously ill should contribute to the cost.”

Charitable funds had been provided to support parking costs in 2011 but lasted only three months and the trust has been footing the bill since.

A spokesperson for the trust said: “We have a large number of patients suffering from a number of ailments across the trust and we offer concessions to patients staying for more than a week or for a month. They are available to all patients across faculties so there is transparency and fairness. Of particular note, the concessions are recognised as good practice by the Department of Health policy guidance for NHS parking management. Any parents in that position that are on a low income and in receipt of qualifying benefits can reclaim travel and parking costs from the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme.”

Mrs Johnson said she was “disappointed” not to have been consulted about the trust’s decision.

However, the spokesperson said that while not all parents had been informed, patient groups had been consulted.

He added that all income from car parking contributes to patient care.

The campaign group is in the process of contacting local MPs to help in its mission to keep charges for children’s services free.