East Kent’s NHS trust has raked in £3.25m a year from car park charges - one of the highest in the country.

Trusts nationwide are accused of levying a “tax on sick people” after an investigation has revealed how millions are generated from charging staff, patients and visitors to park.

Figures suggest the district’s trust is the fourth highest earner in terms of parking revenue, placing it in the top 5% overall.

But trust bosses have hit back, pointing out theirs is one of the largest in England and that the figures do not compare “like-for-like”.

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, branded the charges “morally wrong”.

She said: “Why is it that patients in Wales and Scotland do not have to pay to park? It is a postcode lottery and a tax on sick people who sometimes struggle to pay.

“Hospital car parks are often managed by private contractors who take a huge percentage of the profits.

“This is morally wrong - and charging disabled people is a disgrace.”

The investigation, by the Press Association, generated a response from 90 trusts nationwide.

It revealed that seven trusts were pocketing more than £3m in parking charges - the highest being University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust which generated £3.87m.

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust came fourth in the league table of shame, generating £3.25m.

Rosie Downes, senior campaigns officer at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “The core principle of the NHS is to provide free healthcare for all at the point of access.

“But sadly these latest figures show that some cancer patients in England are still paying extortionate hospital car parking charges in order to access treatment for a life-threatening illness.

“Cancer patients receiving vital treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy will often need to make frequent trips to hospital and unaffordable charges are leaving many out of pocket.”

East Kent’s trust is reponsible for Kent and Canterbury Hospital, William Harvey in Ashford, QEQM in Margate, Buckland Hospital in Dover and Royal Victoria in Folkestone.

In a statement, the trust said: “East Kent Hospitals is one of the country’s largest NHS trusts with five hospital sites across Kent.

The total amount raised through car parking each year is combined income from the Trust’s five hospital sites and is income from both staff and patients.

“In addition, the figure does not take account of operating costs and once these are deducted, all remaining income is put back into the hospital for patient care and experience.

“All the trust’s car parks are managed internally and offer a range of concessions for patients and visitors.

“The trust fully meets and exceeds the Department of Health’s NHS patient, visitor and staff car parking principles.”

In the top-earning 50% of trusts was Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, which took £1.66m in 2014/2015, up from £1.51m the previous year.

That figure included charges for blue badge holders, which the majority of hospital car parks do not apply, but did offer concessions to patients undergoing radiotherapy, chemotherapy and dialysis, and some visitors including parents of sick children.

A spokesman for the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said: “All income generated from car parking is paid direct to MTW Trust. The trust pays a management fee to its security and car parking management contractor for managing the car parks on the trust’s behalf.

"The trust does not collect specific information on the allocation of income from car parking.

"Income is paid into the trust’s general account and then used to support activity of the trust, across a full range of services that we provide, as well as going towards the maintenance and improvements of our car parks.”

Penalty charge notice revenue – generated from the two hospitals in Hermitage Lane, Maidstone, and at Pembury – is retained by contractors First Parking LLP.