This morning's BBC Radio 4 Today program is announcing that Patientline is, with immediate effect, increasing the cost of outgoing phone calls from its bedside equipment from 10p to 26p per minute or from £6 per hour to £15.60 per hour.  But there is to be no corresponding decrease in the cost of incoming calls to the same rate it appears.

Presumably Patientline is now on the verge of bankruptcy to do something this desperate but whichever cretins at the NHS agreed to a contract that allows Patientline to just massively increase charges in this way, whenever it wants, deserve to be fired from their cushy £100k per annum plus jobs forthwith.

Imagine you are in hospital and going in for an operation tomorrow in which there is a 10 to 15% chance you may not survive.  But you can't have several hour long conversations with your loved ones because it will leave you broke in the event that you survive and make it back home.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6524545.stm

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A firm that provides phone services at thousands of NHS hospital bedsides is to increase the cost of calls by 160%.
Previously, calls made by NHS patients through Patientline phones cost 10p per minute, but that will now rise to 26p.

Patientline, a private company, told the BBC it had invested £160m in the system and needed to recoup its costs and make a profit.

In 2005, the firm was investigated by regulators over its charges, but was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Patientline also provides television screens and radio and internet services at hospital bedsides.

The company's systems are installed at more than 75,000 hospital bedsides.

It says that, while call charges will increase, the cost of the complete bedside "package" will fall from £3.50 a day to £2.90.

Calls to patients from outside the hospital cost 39p per minute off-peak and 49p a minute at peak times.

Commercial director Charlotte Brown told BBC News: "Of the people that are in the hospital beds - patients in hospital who spend money with us - 70% of them actually spend that money on watching television.

"What we've done in our new pricing structure is, we've realigned our prices to bring the price of TV, which the majority of people watch, to a much lower level."

There would now be reductions in the price of packages for people staying for longer than two or three days who would also be able to get free games and internet services, she added.

Patientline has admitted it is £80m in debt and currently only has enough money left to operate for the next 12 months.

"As a private sector company, we've put millions of pounds worth of equipment into these hospitals and that's a massive investment for us," Ms Brown said.

"We are trying to recoup that in a way that still provides value for money for the patient in the bed and we feel that we're doing that."

BBC Breakfast's Graham Satchell said the government had always maintained that these services were a luxury and should not come at a cost to the taxpayer or the NHS.

The Patients Association says patients often have no choice but to use Patientline because many hospitals no longer have public pay phones.

Spokesman Michael Summers said the cost of incoming calls was already high, and the latest increase would lead to more complaints.

"These people are ill, often recovering from operations, and the hike from 10p to 26p to phone out is really too much. People are going to be really upset with this."

Telecoms regulator Ofcom investigated Patientline two years ago after complaints that charges were too high.

In the past, many hospitals have operated bans on or restricted the use mobile phones within their buildings, meaning patients often had to use other phone services.

But last month, Health Minister Andy Burnham said he saw "no reason" why they could not be used within hospitals.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "Arrangements with providers of bedside entertainment systems are agreed locally, and Patientline should be discussing any proposed pricing restructuring with NHS trusts.

"Except in a few cases, where a party is in default, any changes need to be the result of mutual agreement.

"Initially, obligation to object to a unilateral act by Patientline falls on the affected trust."
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Our local paper reported the increase and questioned Patientline - they said the new increases were for England & Wales only - not Scotland!!  BUT, then added "For the last 3 weeks we have been trialling the new tariff in ALL Scottish hospitals".  The new cost were "..part of our ongoing committment to improve our services".  Well, that's OK then, makes us suckers in Scotland feel much better - we are the 'testing-ground' again (just like the Poll Tax, and smoking bans).
At least all the adverse publicity might tip Patientline over the edge - please!!

Unions slam phone calls price hike

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/display.var.1313830.0.unions_slam_phone_calls_pri...

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HOSPITAL unions have reacted angrily to the news that the cost to patients of making telephone calls from their beds is to be increased by 160 per cent.

Patientline, the company that owns the telephone and television services at hospitals across the UK, announced on Wednesday that it was increasing its call charges from 10p a minute to 26p.

Stephanie Thomas, from Unison, said: "To rip off and exploit patients in this way is absolutely diabolical.

advertisement"Being in hospital is often the most distressing and upsetting time in a patient's life.

"Due to money worries about paying for these increasingly extortionate phone bills, many poorer patients will be left even more stranded and out of contact with family and friends.

"We feel Ofcom should urgently investigate this terrible exploitation."
[...]
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Has anyone checked to see if any Ofcom directors are also on the board of Patientline?

For all we hear, it wouldn't be surprising....... 

Hospital phone firm slammed

http://ichuddersfield.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_headline=hospita...

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A HUDDERSFIELD hospital boss today slammed plans to charge patients 160% more for making bedside phone calls.

Mark Partington, director of operations for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, says Huddersfield Royal Infirmary was not warned of the price rise.

And he promised to contact phone and TV provider Patientline to highlight his concerns.

The move comes after the firm said it was increasing its call charges from 10p a minute to 26p.

There will also be a 40p minimum charge for outgoing calls.
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So, as if it wasn't expensive enough, there is also a 40p minimum charge. Wonder if that gets publicised anywhere else, or just another "hidden tax" by money grabbers Patientline?

And the service is pretty good (television-wise anyway) - when it works! When I was in hospital last, the whole system went down for two days - when I went back about a week later, it was still dead. There were a lot of unhappy people I can tell you that.

I don't know, to be honest. I couldn't find anything on the website that said yes or no on the issue (and considering I haven't been there personally in years, I couldn't say).

firestop wrote on Apr 8^th, 2007 at 8:11am:

I'm pleased to say my MP is one of the 83 - and I only had to e-mail him once!