This story was taken from Saturdays oxford mail. It says that mobile phones could soon be used in the john radcliffe hospital and other hospitals it runs.

Sorry I can’t find a link on the papers website, so I scanned it for you to read.


http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/5659/hospitaljv4.jpg

Maxwell.h

'bout time, IMHO.

No more needing Patient Line for incoming/outgoing calls.

No more having to queue for the ward trolley-phone, where there is no Patient Line installed.

Texting to your hearts content, etc....

I think it unlikely that mobiles will be allowed on the wards in most hospitals.

Quote:

I think it unlikely that mobiles will be allowed on the wards in most hospitals.

So do I. Given what appears to be the parlous state of the NHS today, and given the distinct possibility that Patientline is greasing the palms of many a hospital administrator, don't count on seeing mobiles in hospitals for a l-o-n-g time...... >:(

mikeinnc wrote on Oct 24^th, 2006 at 11:29pm:

given the distinct possibility that Patientline is greasing the palms of many a hospital administrator,

Highly unlikely - they have no money to spare.

There's no need anyway. They have concession contracts of 15 years or more which include the 'exclusive provider of telephone services' clause, any variation to which would require compansation for lost revenue, and there are other reasons for banning mobiles in wards.

The administrators were more than happy for phone, TV, radio, and internet services to be provided at zero capital and running cost to the hospital - apart from the legal costs, and the electricity.


Quote:

don't count on seeing mobiles in hospitals for a l-o-n-g time...... >:(

True, but only within clinical areas including wards. The DH Patient Power Review Group has issued guidelines that say that a blanket ban is neither neccesary nor enforcable. But every now and then a journalist or politician is fed incomplete and inaccurate information and thinks they've uncovered something new. The point of the guidance was that there are areas within hospitals where the use of mobiles is not undesirable, not that there no areas where the use of mobiles is undesirable which is what press reports usually imply.
The quote about 'one of the companies' being in discussions with the DH is curious because (a) the three biggest companies are in discussion with the DH (not sure why Patientpal isn't included), and (b) it's of little relevance in Wales.

pw4 wrote on Oct 25^th, 2006 at 2:53pm:

mikeinnc wrote on Oct 24th, 2006 at 11:29pm: given the distinct possibility that Patientline is greasing the palms of many a hospital administrator, Highly unlikely - they have no money to spare.

But the reason that the have "no money to spare" is because they have bitten off far more than they can chew!

From the consumer's point of view, they must be loaded because they charge a fortune for incoming callers. Thus, if they can't make ends meet with that, then it serves them right.

Had to take my mother into hospital today.

OH and I obeyed the notice on the door and switched off our mobiles as we entered.

The first person we encountered in the corridor was a Doctor - who nearly knocked us flying because he was studying the floor as he marched along talking into - you guessed it - his mobile phone!

Heinz wrote on Oct 25^th, 2006 at 9:39pm:

...The first person we encountered in the corridor was a Doctor - who nearly knocked us flying because he was studying the floor as he marched along talking into - you guessed it - his mobile phone!

I've heard of doctors leaning out of windows to have a quick f*g in between patients, etc.

It's one rule for us and ordinary staff and another rule completely for doctors.

Similar thing with taxi drivers.  Us drivers generally  ;) abide by highway code, etc but taxi drivers seem to use their own version of the highway code if you ask me ;D

For the record I don't smoke.

Dave wrote on Oct 25^th, 2006 at 2:57pm:

But the reason that the have "no money to spare" is because they have bitten off far more than they can chew!

The business plan - over ten years ago - did not accurately predict several trends in both public health care and telecommunications. But in truth Patientline had liitle choice in the size of the bite once the government saw the opportunity to provide a telephone and TV at each bedside at no cost to the NHS. Every major hospital in England was required to enter into a contract with a licensed provider within four years, which meant that all of the companies had just one now-or-never chance to win each contract. Even though each contract has to be re-awarded after twenty or more years, the chances that many hospitals would entertain the prospect of disrupting wards twice by having one system removed and another installed are slim.


Quote:

From the consumer's point of view, they must be loaded because they charge a fortune for incoming callers. Thus, if they can't make ends meet with that, then it serves them right.

Indeed. And that's the point of view that politicians and the press focus upon. But until they suggest realistic ways of repaying the borrowings that had to be made for the capital costs and of paying the wage bill - let alone pay dividends to the shareholders - it's never going to result in lower charges.



bbb_uk wrote on Oct 26^th, 2006 at 8:22pm:

It's one rule for us and ordinary staff and another rule completely for doctors.

That convention predates Patientline and mobile phones.  :D

pw4 wrote on Oct 26^th, 2006 at 9:27pm:

Dave wrote on Oct 25th, 2006 at 2:57pm: But the reason that the have "no money to spare" is because they have bitten off far more than they can chew! The business plan - over ten years ago - did not accurately predict several trends in both public health care and telecommunications. But in truth Patientline had liitle choice in the size of the bite once the government saw the opportunity to provide a telephone and TV at each bedside at no cost to the NHS. Every major hospital in England was required to enter into a contract with a licensed provider within four years, which meant that all of the companies had just one now-or-never chance to win each contract. Even though each contract has to be re-awarded after twenty or more years, the chances that many hospitals would entertain the prospect of disrupting wards twice by having one system removed and another installed are slim.

I didn't know that they (hospitals) were forced to do this.

At the end of the day, high telephone charges are bad press for the NHS and the public therefore view that it's the government's fault that this has been allowed to happen.

To sign a contract for 20 years seems somewhat short-sighted as technology is set to change in any case. But at the end of the day, if each bed is to have its own device, then there must be enough income per bed to recoup expenditure for the system and any future upgrades. Bear in mind that not everyone will want to use these things, partly due to them not understanding modern technology (particularly the elderly) and partly due to the (excessive) costs to do so. But by installing something that is more 'hi-tech' and therefore more expensive, I think that they have bitten off more than they can chew.

pw4 wrote on Oct 26^th, 2006 at 9:27pm:

Indeed. And that's the point of view that politicians and the press focus upon. But until they suggest realistic ways of repaying the borrowings that had to be made for the capital costs and of paying the wage bill - let alone pay dividends to the shareholders - it's never going to result in lower charges.

Insist on the call price being lowered, let Patientline line go bust as a result and then the government can acquire the assets of the bankrupt company for a song from the liquidators to be operated by the NHS's own Telco.  Its happened before with Railtrack and I'm sure Patientline's shareholders will be just as unsuccessful in trying to sue the government for their losses.

A hard wired huge terminal is years out of date thinking anyway.  All that's now needed is some low power (therefore low interference with hospital equipemnt) local wifi connections so people can deliver the television or radio by broadband and the phone calls too to their own laptop PCs.  Or if they don't have one the NHS can hire them some stripped down simplistic terminal for the technologically illiterate.

sky news have been running this story about hospital phones. i was told that a tory mp is leading a campain about this as well.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13554806,00.html

Maxwell.h

My fiance has cystic fibrosis (hey, topical issue) and has to spend a lot of time in hospital, but in the room they give her (she gets a private room on the chest clinic) shes allowed to use her mobile phone. IN gfact she only turns it off in certain areas such as E+E and a few places with specialised equipment. The nurses even tell her where she has to have it off.

So mobile phones will soon be allowed in loads of places in NHS hospitals, Patientline will go bust and then another company will pick up Patientline's assets for a song and start offering tv and phone calls at low sensible prices.

NGMsGhost wrote on Dec 1^st, 2006 at 11:05am:

So mobile phones will soon be allowed in loads of places in NHS hospitals, Patientline will go bust and then another company will pick up Patientline's assets for a song and start offering tv and phone calls at low sensible prices.

I don't think that sequence of events is likely.

It is undesirable from hospitals' point of view to allow the use of mobiles on open wards, and as long as that is the case the clause in their Patient Power concession agreements requiring them to ban mobile phones on wards will apply.

If Patientline or any of the other Patient Power providers became insolvent I can't imagine any other company taking a chance on entering the business. This would leave patients with no telephone and TV facilities, and so it is in the Department of Health's interest to avoid that scenario.

pw4 wrote on Dec 4^th, 2006 at 8:11pm:

So mobile phones will soon be allowed in loads of places in NHS hospitals, Patientline will go bust and then another company will pick up Patientline's assets for a song and start offering tv and phone calls at low sensible prices. I don't think that sequence of events is likely. It is undesirable from hospitals' point of view to allow the use of mobiles on open wards, and as long as that is the case the clause in their Patient Power concession agreements requiring them to ban mobile phones on wards will apply. If Patientline or any of the other Patient Power providers became insolvent I can't imagine any other company taking a chance on entering the business. This would leave patients with no telephone and TV facilities, and so it is in the Department of Health's interest to avoid that scenario.

So which Director of Patientline are you then.

patient power without the capital Ps but via ripped off hospital patients and their MPs will see the needless and despicable ban on mobile phones in hospital rescinded by the government in all but acute wards or areas where it may genuinely be relevant.  Your lousy overpriced service will then go bust and the assets will be picked up for next to nothing and used to provide sensibly priced phone calls and television for hospital patients.

In the longer run (10 years on) people will all have their own IP based portable hand held computers that they can use either over cheap to install wireless hospital networks or perhaps just via a general WiMax network covering that city by then.  Unless Patient Power contracts require radiation shielding to be installed to force hospital patients to use PatientScam.

Then your hopelessly overpriced unreliable terminals will be utterly worthless and Patientline directors will find themselves either in prison or in the poorhouse where they deserve to be after such a despicable and cynical plan to fleece the sick and elderly.