Patients and staff face EV charging gap at NHS hospitals as vital workers unable to power cars

More than three-quarters of NHS hospital sites in England still have no electric vehicle chargers, raising concerns about access for staff, patients and visitors.

Analysis by online car retailer Cinch found that just 670 out of 2,901 NHS hospital sites currently provide any EV charging, with around 77 per cent of sites offering no charging facilities at all.

Despite growing demand for electric cars, the data showed charging points remain limited and unevenly spread across the country. In total, there were just under 5,000 chargers across the entire NHS estate.

The North East and Yorkshire were found to have the highest number of chargers overall, with 1,098 installed. However, nearly seven out of 10 hospital sites in the region still have no chargers.

Other parts of the country have lagged even further behind. In the South West, for example, more than 80 per cent of hospital sites are currently operating without any EV chargers available.

The figures suggested that while some progress has been made, chargers are often concentrated in a small number of locations rather than being widely available across all hospitals.

A handful of NHS trusts account for a large share of the existing infrastructure. West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has the highest number of chargers, with 129 installed.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust follows with 120, while Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has 101.

However, several major hospital trusts still have no charging provision at all. These include Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, among others.

Motoring expert Ben Welham from cinch said the figures showed a mixed picture. "It's encouraging to see some regions and trusts making progress, with over 1,000 chargers in the North East and Yorkshire," he said.

He added: "That shows investment is happening, but the challenge now is making sure it's spread more evenly so electric car drivers can benefit.

"It's surprising to see some major hospital trusts still reporting no EV charging at all, particularly when they operate multiple sites."

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• MOT warning issued to EV drivers as major gap in pass rates prompts safety concern
• Drivers risk £2,500 fines for trusting wrong speed limits as sat nav usage spreads across UK
• Driving law changes you missed in April - Major car tax hikes, car finance updates and more

The lack of on-site charging could also create practical problems for NHS staff and patients alike. Many hospital workers spend long hours on shift, while patients and visitors often rely on their cars to attend appointments.

Without access to chargers at hospitals, drivers may need to plan journeys more carefully or find alternative charging points nearby.

Mr Welham said improving access would make a real difference to daily life. "For staff, patients and their visitors, knowing you'll be able to charge up when you're there is one less thing to worry about," he explained.

"As more drivers switch to electric vehicles, expanding charging in everyday locations like hospitals is a key element of making that transition easy," the expert added.

The findings come as the UK continues to push towards wider adoption of electric vehicles, with petrol and diesel cars set to be phased out by 2030 as part of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate.

Under the plans, all new petrol and diesel car sales will need to be electric by 2030, with at least 33 per cent electric by the end of this year.