RCN position on the provision of safe, sustainable, and affordable travel to work 

The RCN believes that all staff should be able to access safe, sustainable, and affordable travel to work regardless of their role and working hours. The RCN expects all employers to enable their staff to travel to work sustainably without exposure to unnecessary cost and risk. This should include the provision of free onsite parking where parking facilities are available alongside a range of other sustainable travel options.

Challenges facing nursing staff

Based on an RCN survey undertaken in October 2021 with over 9,577 respondents (of which 69.9% work for an NHS Trust or Board) nursing staff are currently facing unprecedented challenges.  

Long working hours have been a problem for the nursing profession for many years, with staff regularly working beyond their contracted hours. Three quarters of respondents (74.1%) report regularly working beyond their contracted hours at least once a week and 17.4% report doing so every shift or working day. The working day is further impacted for many members who have reported to their regions the need to leave for work increasingly early to secure safe and affordable parking.  

Workload and service pressures are impacting on the ability to take annual leave, with only two thirds (63%) of respondents reporting they had been able to take their full entitlement over the last year. Workload pressures combined with financial and logistical pressures created by the lack of sustainable and affordable travel options is likely to place an increasing strain on nursing staff.  

Intention to leave is strongest among nursing staff working in NHS hospital settings, with 60.2% of respondents stating they are considering or planning to leave their job. The main reasons given for thinking about leaving are feeling undervalued and feeling under too much pressure. It is likely that provision of free parking alongside other sustainable travel options will represent a small step towards employers demonstrating their staff are valued. In addition, such measures are likely to alleviate some of the financial and logistical difficulty associated with travel to work.  

Cost of living

The challenges facing health care staff are being compounded by record rises to the cost of living. These pressures are disproportionately felt by part time infrequent workers a variety of roles across different organisations. Year to date RPI inflation was 8.2% in February 2022. This is against a backdrop of:

• a real terms wage cuts of up to 32% in recent years
• increases to the cost of borrowing following a Bank of England base rate increase (February 2022)
• increases to national insurance contribution rates (April 2022)
• increases to pension contribution rates for some members (October 2022).  

Fuel prices have also risen sharply with the measure for petrol and oil showing an annual increase of 23.9% for the last year. NHS mileage allowance rates have increased in some parts of the UK but other areas have been left behind, worsening the financial pressure on some staff.

The extension of free parking UK-wide would reduce the cost of coming to work for many members and assist with the cost of living pressures.

Risks

The extension of free parking in England has the potential to reduce available car parking spaces overall due to an increase in car travel. Therefore, consideration of sustainable, cost-effective alternatives must be considered alongside any changes to onsite parking arrangements. However, it should be noted that a free parking system has been successfully in operation across Scotland and Wales for some time.  

Staff across Scotland and Wales report not always being able to access free parking spaces due to a lack of space and high demand. This underscores the need for an integrated approach to affordable and sustainable travel across the UK. The loss of night parking charging revenue in England and Northern Ireland may create additional pressure on budgets. Therefore, additional government funding may be required.

Maintaining an unequal arrangement across the UK increases the likelihood of losing staff to neighbouring employers in border areas. Employers then face the associated costs of recruitment which should be offset against the cost of parking and travel provision. 

Car parking arrangements in England may be subject to third party land ownership and/or operation. Government intervention may be required, as in Scotland where the Scottish Government bought out private arrangements to ensure parity across the NHS. 

A local approach to free car parking and sustainable travel will be necessary to account for differences between urban and rural areas. However, government guidance and funding to employers will likely be required to ensure parity of provision across the UK. 

Many staff have no alternative but to use their car to travel to work and the inability to arrive at work affordably and sustainably is likely to be a significant stressor for staff which is also likely to impact patient care over time. Provision of free parking alongside other sustainable travel measures would address this issue in line with employer’s statutory duty of care.  

Recommendations

• The RCN expects all employers regardless of sector to enable their staff to travel to work safely without exposure to unnecessary cost and risk. This should include the provision of free onsite parking where available alongside a range of other sustainable travel options. 

• To call on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care provide parity across the UK by restoring free car parking where available to NHS staff in England alongside provision of funding for employers to expand sustainable travel options as appropriate across the UK.  

• For RCN officers and senior officers UK wide to raise the inequity created by the lack of safe, sustainable, and affordable travel with employers. Understanding the different challenges for rural and urban employers. To call for:  
  • A review of green travel policies to ensure staff can travel to work safely, sustainably, and affordably.  
  • Maintain/restore free car parking provision where available with parking priority for all shift workers.  
  • Consider other sustainable options such as incentivising ‘Park and Ride’ options, offering shuttle services and buying more pool cars.