Things that should be free

We are fortunate in this country that we are free to roam, pick blackberries, garlic, whatever happens to be free. Free at the moment to talk to strangers at the bus stop, and if we are old enough travel free on the buses.

cheapest ones 25p for ten Sainsburys basics!

The Park and Ride service to both the Churchill and the JR are excellent. If you have a bus pass, of course the bus part is free too.
Best of luck to you and your DH.
Plentiful (and free) hospital parking would be a nice thing, but often, especially in cities, is a pipe dream. Many hospitals will issue a "season ticket" if you know a stay is likely to be a lengthy one of course. A frequent shuttle service to and from parking would at least ease many patients' journeys. When DH has been in the Royal Free it cost me around £30 just to visit, and that is using public transport!!

Inverness hospital has free parking. Had to park half mile away at Tesco last time we were there. Preferred it when they charged a £1. No station nearby so no commuters, just hospital users.

We are fortunate in the part of Scotland I live to have free hospital parking but it is seriously abused. When my husband was hospitalised I found it practically impossible to get a parking space. Luckily I could use a bus. It is an enormous car park but used widely for all day parking by folks who then bus or walk into the city. It has also been used by people leaving from the local airport but parking their cars at the hospital and taking taxi to airport!!

I recently spent 4 hours sitting with my daughter in hospital while her partner went home to get much needed sleep and to see their son. My daughter had given birth following pre eclampsia and her partner was concerned about leaving her. The hospital car park cost me £9. I nearly headed back in to A + E for shock treatment. On the other hand I was very fortunate to get a parking space.

Welcome NannaBanana - of course I like your name!
Hospital car parks should definitely be free.

Casino investment bankers for a start
Yay.....

Don't know if this is still the case, but when DH had to go in for treatment at one hospital in Perth WA, he received a parking permit with his appointment card, and didn't have to pay anything for parking. Since then, he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and has to have regular treatment for it at a different hospital, and it costs us a fortune in parking fees. I can understand visitors having to pay (although I don't think anyone should have to pay for hospital parking really) but surely long time patients should be exempt from this charge.

2 years ago Cancer patients receiving treatment at Bournemouth hospital got free parking, there was a special ticket machine on the ward. When I was an in patient I also got free TV. Didn't realise at first so worth asking.

Agree hospital car parks and sanitary products should be free.

I think the amount we pay in water rates is fair enough.

School meals should be free for all pupils.

Prescriptions should also be free.

If our hospital car park was free it would be full of commuters. Cost me £3 to park yesterday for 2 1/2 hrs, that seems reasonable to me.

Free prescriptions, can you imagine the cost to the NHS and the amount of waste. many can already get free prescriptions.

School meals, I like the idea as it prevents stigma, but who is to pay ?

Water rates, I'm OK with them.

Sanitary products, free to those that qualify for free prescriptions (and don't forget us men)

pompa technology can cope with 'rogue' parking these days and remember hospital car parking did used to be free. England is the only part of the UK where you still have to pay for prescriptions. Sanitary and incontinence products should be free on the NHS as prescription items. You should also have the choice to buy things instead of going down the prescription road. Again, technology is well able to cope with the kind of abuse we used to see years ago. In many countries school meals are free for all pupils, even in high income countries like Sweden and Finland. All of this should be paid for through taxation like PAYE, keeping it fair.