Hospitals in England pocketed a record £300 million from parking charges over the last year alone, figures show.
Patients and those visiting their loved ones forked out more than £213 million, while staff paid close to £87 million.
This is a 10 per cent rise from the £271 million spent last year, and six per cent higher than the previous record of £289 million set in 2019/20.
In total the health service has received more than £1.7 billion from parking payments since 2018, when records began.
The trust that received the most money was University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, collecting a total of £10.2 million. Some £6.4 million of this - almost two-thirds - came from patients and visitors.
The eye-watering sums have been branded a 'tax on the sick' by politicians, who have demanded that fees are reduced.
Now, the Daily Mail's interactive map reveals which NHS Trusts generated the most revenue from parking charges over the last year.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust ranked the second highest, collecting almost £7 million over the last year.
Around £3.3 million came from patients and visitors, while more than £3.5 million was paid by staff.
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust was third, receiving £6.4 million, with more than 70 per cent paid by patients and visitors.
Several trusts, however, reported far smaller amounts of parking revenue.
Devon Partnership NHS Trust took in £23,486 and Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust received £17,544.
Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust, meanwhile, collected £12,872.
'Hospital parking charges have hit record highs, and it's patients, their families and NHS staff who are paying the price,' Clive Jones MP, the Liberal Democrat spokesman for care, told the Mail.
'Make no mistake, this is a tax on the sick.
'Going to see a poorly loved one or attending an appointment should never mean anxiously watching the clock on a parking ticket.'
'And it is shameful that nurses and care workers, who are already pushed to their limits, are paying more than ever simply to get to their shift, or are being forced to leave their cars miles from the hospital.'
'The Government needs to stop treating patients and staff as a cash cow.'
He added that ministers should sit down with NHS trusts and 'bring these unfair charges down'.
Hospitals in England raked in a record £300 million from parking charges over the last year
NHS Trusts, the bodies responsible for running hospitals and health services in local areas, set their own parking policies and charges.
Around a decade ago, average hourly parking charges at NHS hospitals in England ranged from around £1.30 to £1.70.
In recent years, however, some trusts have significantly increased their tariffs.
At the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, parking for one to two hours jumped in late 2024 from £2.40 to £4. Fees for two to three hours increased from £3.60 to £6.
Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust also more than doubled from £6 to £13 for parking for more than 10 hours.
Parking at NHS hospitals in Scotland and Wales is mostly free.
Overall, the new data reveals that hospitals in the Midlands received the most money, collecting more than £60 million.
This followed by the South East with £49.4 million and the North West at £48.6 million.
London hospitals, meanwhile, received almost £35million, and the South West and East of England took in just short of £30 million.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: 'NHS trusts are responsible for car parking charges. We expect rates to be reasonable and in line with the local area.
'Free parking is available for those in greatest need - including Blue Badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight in hospital and NHS staff working night shifts.
'Where charges do apply, the money made is used to maintain facilities, with surplus income put back into the NHS to benefit both staff and patients.'
NHS England declined to comment.