People visiting Southend Hospital will soon have to pay more to park, with the cost of longer stays increasing sharply and the amount of free parking being reduced.
From 31 July, the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is introducing new parking charges across its hospital sites, including Southend Hospital, Basildon Hospital, Broomfield Hospital and Orsett Hospital.
One of the first changes visitors will notice is that the free parking period will be reduced from 30 minutes to 20 minutes. The trust says the shorter free period will still be sufficient for people collecting prescriptions, dropping off or picking up patients, or making brief visits.
However, drivers needing to stay for appointments, visiting loved ones or accompanying patients for treatment are set to face significantly higher costs.
Parking for up to two hours will increase from £3.10 to £4.00, while the cost of staying up to six hours will rise from £6.00 to £9.50.
The biggest increase affects people staying for longer periods.
Previously, anyone parking for more than six hours paid a flat maximum daily charge of £10. From 31 July, that single tariff is being replaced with two new charging bands: £12 for stays between six and 13 hours, and £18 for stays between 13 and 24 hours.
That means the maximum daily parking charge is increasing from £10 to £18, an 80% rise.
The trust says the revised parking structure will apply across all of its hospital sites which include:
- Southend Hospital
- Basildon Hospital
- Broomfield Hospital
- Orsett Hospital
Despite the increases, several groups will continue to qualify for free parking. This includes Blue Badge holders, renal patients, chemotherapy patients, and eligible visitors who obtain permits, including those visiting:
- Children staying overnight.
- Patients receiving end of life care.
- Children who are seriously ill or awaiting transfer to another hospital.
- Carers of patients living with dementia.
The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust said the 20-minute free parking period will continue to support people “collecting prescriptions, dropping off or picking up patients, or making brief visits to the hospital sites.”
Hospital parking charges have long been a source of debate, particularly for families making frequent visits or patients attending lengthy outpatient appointments. The latest changes are likely to renew discussion over the cost of parking while accessing NHS services.
Parking charges comparison for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust hospitals
| Parking duration | Current charge | New charge (from 31 July 2026) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free period | 30 minutes | 20 minutes | -10 minutes |
| Up to 2 hours | £3.10 | £4.00 | +£0.90 |
| Up to 3 hours | £4.00 | £6.00 | +£2.00 |
| Up to 5 hours | £5.00 | £8.00 | +£3.00 |
| Up to 6 hours | £6.00 | £9.50 | +£3.50 |
| Over 6 hours | £10.00 | – | Replaced |
| 6 to 13 hours | – | £12.00 | New band |
| 13 to 24 hours | – | £18.00 | New band |
Getting to Southend Hospital by bus
For anyone looking to avoid the higher parking charges, Southend Hospital is well served by public transport, with several bus routes stopping directly outside the main entrance on Prittlewell Chase.
The main services serving the hospital include:
- 3 – Chelmsford ↔ Southend Travel Centre
- 7 – Rayleigh ↔ Southend Travel Centre
- 8 – Rayleigh ↔ Southend Travel Centre
- 20 – Hullbridge ↔ Southend Travel Centre
- 21 – Canvey Island/Thorpe Bay ↔ Southend
- 25 – Basildon ↔ Southend
- 26 – Hadleigh, Leigh-on-Sea and Shoeburyness ↔ Southend Hospital
- X30 – Stansted Airport ↔ Southend
The hospital is also around a 20-minute walk from Prittlewell railway station on the Greater Anglia line, while Westcliff station on the c2c route is also within walking distance or a short bus or taxi journey.
What’s also not mentioned is that many staff, certainly from EPUT at Basildon Mental Health Unit (based on the hospital site), are not being granted permits to park on the hospital site (even for a respectable monthly fee). Despite EPUT having its own car park at the rear of the MHU, it only has limited space, and is woefully inadequate for the number of staff based there. For the past two years, EPUT have apparently been in discussions with MSE for dualled use of the hospital car parks, but apart from some interim amnesties, advise has been conflicting numerous times, with no deal thrashed out, and both sides blaming the other. Since June, the ANPR cameras have been switched on, and many EPUT staff have received PCNs for parking in the MSE staff car parks, including the multi-storey. This has now led to a farcical situation where staff, fearful of more fines, are parking all over the place in the EPUT car park, double parking, blocking other staff members parked correctly, whilst at the same time, the MSE car parks by MHU are virtually empty. Staff either have to pay at least £10 a day to park, or play Russian roulette, hoping they won’t get more PCNs. EPUTs hierarchy, ironically not based at Basildon, have been appalling in this situation, making promises over the last two years that staff would not be penalised for parking on EPUT sites, given vehicle registrations were passed to MSE. However, events in recent weeks have smashed that idea. EPUTs response this week in the staff update was to turn all the many queries in to one homogenised question, and not refer to any of the issues such as fines, instead talking up discussions with the bus services and a park and ride! For some staff, especially night shifts, this is out of the question. Staff, already stressed through their workloads, have been out of their mind with worry over this parking situation. No swift resolution will almost certainly lead to mass resignations from staff, and major issues for the operating of the MHU. Between EPUT and MSE, and the parking operator, a disgusting mess they should hang their heads in shame for.