FREE parking for thousands of NHS patients and visitors will begin being rolled out in England from April.

Blue badge holders and patients who must regularly attend appointments for long-term conditions will get free hospital parking under the plans being outlined on Friday.

All hospital trusts in England, including the one that manages Westmorland General Hospital, will also be expected to give free parking at specific times to parents with sick children staying overnight and staff on night shifts.

Trusts manage their own car parking arrangements and reinvest the profits into frontline care.

The Department of Health was not setting aside funding to reimburse trusts that may see their finances impacted under the Tory manifesto pledge.

But a department spokeswoman said ‘they will be supported’ to ensure the policy does not affect care.

A study earlier this month found one in three hospitals in England put up the cost of parking last year.

The research showed hospitals made more than £254 million from parking in 2018/19, up 10 per cent on the previous year.

Foluke Ajayi, chief operating officer for Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, said: “Once new guidance is issued with regards to car parking charges from NHS England/Improvement we will ensure we abide by it.

“We already ensure that those with blue badges and other people who have to visit hospital regularly receive free or discounted car parking, and our charges are lower than many comparable Trusts across the country.

“We will continue to keep car parking under review, maximising the number of spaces available while ensuring that any charge is not burdensome.”