Hospital viewers would be better off in jail

HEALTH chiefs have defended the use of a controversial TV and phone system which charges its patients more than prisoners to watch TV.

Patients using the bedside TV system at the Royal Oldham Hospital and other sites run by the Pennine Acute Trust are being charged up to £10 a day to watch TV — while prisoners pay £1 for having a TV set in their cells.

Retired bricklayer Ralph Bond (72), was charged £310 for watching TV during a 31-day stay at the Royal Oldham for cancer treatment.

He said he had been baffled by the pricing system and said: “I didn’t know how long I was going to be in hospital so I didn’t go for the cheaper monthly bundle.”

The £10 package allows access to terrestrial, satellite channels and films, as well as unlimited outbound calls to UK landlines for 24 hours. The 30-day package has fewer channels.

Patient groups have slammed the charges by supplier Hospedia. Katherine Murphy, from the Patients Association, said: “Patients should not have the stress of a big bill on top of their bad health.”

A spokesman for the Trust said it had worked with the company and its predecessor Patientline since 1998.

He said: “We were sorry to hear of Mr Bond’s experience and appreciate that it may sometimes be difficult for patients to decide which TV package option to select, particularly when the length of the hospital stay is unknown.

“However, we believe that we provide patients with sufficient information about Hospedia’s charges to enable them to select their viewing package. Hospedia staff are also available and visit wards daily to deal with problems patients might be having.”

A spokeswoman for Hospedia defended the charges and said the £10-a-day package was just one option, with prices starting at £2.50 for a two-hour “mini-bundle”.

She said price options were advertised on vending machines and posters around hospitals, and patients were presented with the range of options when they bought a package.