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A RIP OFF?
by kendrive @ 2007-03-30 - 09:16:48

ist2_964568_on_the_phone

I recently received my telephone bill and noticed a charge of £8.33 ($16.35) for a 17 minute call to an unrecognised mobile (cellphone) number.

I dialled the number and found that it was to the "Patientline" service of a local hospital.

Yes, now I remember - it was to a friend in hospital.

Now charges at that level are scandalous, aren't they? There is plenty to worry about when someone is sick, without having that as well.

I have read that one pensioner incurred telephone charges of several hundred pounds in one month whilst his wife was terminally ill in hospital.

An investigation was launched by Ofcom (the telephone services regulator) in 2005, but nothing has changed and incoming calls to hospital patients are still being charged at 49p per minute.

And, of course, personal mobile phones are not allowed to be used in many hospital wards, so there is no alternative to "Patientline".

Is it a "rip off"?

Patientline

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Tags: hospital, life, telephone,

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annbradleyannbradley [Member]
30/03/07 @ 22:42

It is so useful, isn't it, to be able to contact the patient? I liked to ring my mum to say 'goodnight'.
I knew charges were hefty but the cynical part, in my view, was the l o n g message that had to be endured before you can start your own call - all bumping up the call duration.

kendrivekendrive pro
04/04/07 @ 11:02

Wow! Patientline has announced that it is increasing the charge for outgoing calls from patients in hospital to 26p per minute (at present 10p)

jenrayjenray pro
http://www.jenniferhunter.co.uk
04/04/07 @ 20:19

Yes, it is a damned disgrace. I had to think twice when I was in hospital when I wanted to make a call. You shouldn't have to when you're feeling lousy. I've never understood why they charge patients so much, unless they're afraid that, if it's cheap, people will talk for hours and block up the lines. Just another way of making a stay in hospital even more stressful, especially if you're a long way from home as I was at the time. Mind you, I probably couldn't have made many calls as it was excruciatingly painful just too lift an arm :-))

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