STAFF and visitors to Salisbury District Hospital will pay more to park from August 1.

Visitors will now pay £2.70 for up to two hours of parking (up from £2.50), £4.50 for up to four hours (up from £4.20), £6.50 for up to six hours (previously there was no option to pay for six hours) and £8 for up to 24 hours (up from £6.30).

It comes as the hospital looks to make savings of £12million, in line with instructions from NHS Improvement to reduce its overall deficit this year.

A spokesman for Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust said the rise "will continue to be in line with normal local city centre parking rates".

The Trust has concessionary rates in place for people who require regular visits for treatment or who are visiting patients who are receiving long term care.

Patients and visitors who meet the appropriate criteria can pay £2.70 per visit, bringing the all-day charge in line with the lowest car park rate. This rate is used for patients who routinely attend for chemotherapy treatment.

Patients and visitors who have multiple visits to hospital during a 7 day period who meet the appropriate criteria can pay £12 for an unlimited number of visits.

The rates and charging structure for hospital staff has also changed, but as part of the restructure staff on higher rates of pay will now pay more than those on lower pay bands.

Ian Robinson, operations director for estates and facilities said: “It’s important that we have a charging structure in place that enables us to maintain our on-site parking and services without using money that could be used for direct patient care.

“Money from car parking charges has also been used to support developments and services that benefit patients and staff. A good example of this can be seen in our 24/7 on site security service, which was seen by our staff as a number one priority for them.

"Since last year we have had a wide range of positive feedback from our staff, patients and visitors who appreciate the extra support and protection provided by the security team.

“We do look very carefully at how best to fund the maintenance and support of on-site car parking and this was a difficult decision to make."