Nate Lanxon
Nate Lanxon is CNET UK's Senior Editor of News and Features, and covers every aspect of technology for Crave. He also enjoys popular-science books, obscure Japanese animation and plays 'technical metal' on the drums, whatever that is.
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Tuesday 17 June 2008, 2:50pm
'Get well soon' costs 49p per minute to NHS hospitals
Calling a loved one in a UK hospital? It's cheaper to call a mobile phone in Japan.
My father suffers from multiple sclerosis and is currently lying in an NHS hospital bed. He's miserable, as you might guess. If, like I did, you want to call a suffering family member in one of over 150 UK hospitals that use Patientline's bedside TV, Internet and phone service, it'll cost you 49p per minute from a BT land line at peak rate. That's more to call a bedside across town than it costs to call someone on the other side of the globe.
Paitentline's cheap rate is still 39p per minute. Is this obscene? Let's see.
At peak rate from a BT land line, it'll cost you 28p per minute to call a home in Australia. It'll only cost you 14p per minute to call Hong Kong, and just 12p per minute to call Japan.
Even if you call a mobile phone in Japan at peak rate, it'll cost you only 37p per minute -- 12p per minute less than a call to a nearby hospital.
In fact, it's cheaper for me to travel almost 200 miles on a bus and have a light lunch than to make a one-hour conversation over lunch at home.
Last year the BBC reported that Patientline raised its call prices significantly, by an eye-watering 160 per cent. And in November of last year The Guardian commented on the financial instability of the firm, citing operating losses of millions within just six months.
Patientline says higher call charges support lower TV charges, which more patients use. Maybe if call charges were lower more people would use them? 49 pence per minute to call my dad isn't exactly an enticing offer.
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Comments on this post
Sneak him in a mobile phone with a hands free kit and tell him to say to nurses if challenged that its an mp3 player, Thats how i chatted away with my girlfriend for the week while she was donating a kidney.
Posted by Steve on Mon 23 June, 2008 11:25 PM
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i am so disgusted in the service you provide to your so called customers. I a using this statement as I dont know if you are aware that the people in the New Roayl Infirmary, Edinburgh, as really ill/sick and dont really have the first clue about topping up their tv. In fact I have tried for the last 10 mins to get the number for the on the patient helpline to no avail!! Five times I have phon ed to get the operator number and let me tell you it has taken me five times to write down the number - each time I have had to write a few numbers down at a time - this automated service is by no means customer friendly and by no means accessible to hard of hearing people. I believe this service is more profit friendly to patientline and is taking advantage of ill people in the hospital who have no choice bar to use your service to keep in touch with their loved ones - no more than robbers like Scottish Power and British Gas - hope you are proud of yourselves in taking advantage of ill and vulnerable people!!!
Posted by Diane Potts on Sat 27 December, 2008 9:19 PM
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