A WIRRAL MP has warned health ministers that hospitals may 'put two fingers up' to the government over its ruling to reduce car parking charges for patients and visitors.

Frank Field was speaking during a House of Commons debate on the issue.

It followed a concerted campaign to end what he called an 'outrageous tax on people visiting the sick'.

He urged ministers to come up with a 'Plan B' for those hospitals who pay 'scant attention' to the government's guidance and continue to charge excessively those who need to continue to visit their relatives in hospital.

In response health secretary Jeremy Hunt said his department would 'look at what other measures we can introduce against trusts that still show disregard for the guidelines'.

Mr Field said: "I totally welcome the Secretary of State’s guidance on this matter, but we know from our local areas that some hospital trusts will gently put two fingers up to what the Secretary of State says.

"I very much hope that when the Minister replies he will say what plan B is for those hospitals that continue to charge excessively those who need to continue to visit their relatives in hospital."

In March, Mr Field exposed hospital car parking charges when he found that more than two thirds of NHS and foundation trusts were charging patients and visitors up to £4 an hour to use their on-site car parks.

Work is currently underway to demolish of a former accommodation block at Arrowe Park Hospital, to make way for an extra parking area, which is likely to be in use by the end of the year.

The hospital currently has around 600 patient and parking spaces. It is one of the few large acute hospitals in England to offer some free parking alongside its pay car parks.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said last week that new guidelines for English hospitals had been drawn up to put an end to the stress of "unfair" charges.

The guidance sets out for the first time that hospital trusts are responsible for the actions of any privately contracted firms they use to run their car parking operations.

It also calls on hospitals should also look at introducing pay on exit systems so that they only pay for the time they have used.

Mr Hunt said: "Patients and families shouldn't have to deal with the added stress of unfair parking charges.

"These clear ground rules set out our expectations, and will help the public hold the NHS to account for unfair charges or practices."