Wednesday, May 2

Patients in Need



''If Patientline had set out deliberatly to upset sick people and nursing staff they have succeeded spectacularly''
Peter Troy in The Northern Echo today
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Peter Troy has today launched a pressure group Patients in Need (PIN). The organisation will be campaigning for a better deal for NHS patients during their stay in hospital. PIN has been established following the increase in charges for older patients by the troubled communications company Patientline, the firm that provides most bedside TV's and phones in most of Britain's hospitals.
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Patientline has scrapped the special rate of £1.70 per day for over 65's who must now pay the full £2.90 a rise of £1.20. Outgoing calls from hospital beds have also risen to 26p with a minimum charge of 40p. The minimum call charge is applied regardless of whether connection is made or not.
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Articles have been published today in The Daily Mail, The Norther Echo, The Hartlepool Mail and the Middlesbrough Gazette. Links will be posted on this blog later today together with a detailed posting of the background and the future campaign plans of PIN.
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Peter is concerned that hard pressed and stressed Patientline staff employed in NHS hospitals will be under further pressure as a result of Patientline's new priceing policy. A point that is at the forefront of the PIN campaign.
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Please see:
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The issue was taken up by Tyne Tess TV
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The Dail Mail's strong article is linked here
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Update. The link below is important.
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Summary of recent articles accros the country:

http://news.google.co.uk/nwshp?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wn&q=Patientline
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There is more, much more to follow.


7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well done Peter. You have my support! A worthwhile petition which may , hopefuly benefit many in the long-term.
The current costs are scandalous!

Anonymous said...

Companies like patientline are guilty of their own failures and must not be allowed to transfer the onus of their inefficiently incurred costs to the innocent patients and their relatives

Anonymous said...

Well done Peter - head above the parapet yet again. When I was in hospital recently the cost of ringing my family every day made me think twice about making the calls. Now is is far too expensive. I think that there should be a mass lobbying of MPs to force a reduction in Patientlines charges.

Anonymous said...

The recent price increase of Patientline's TV 's is just not fair. As Peter said on the news the equipment does not work properly and in some locations it is actualy dangerous paticularly when the support arms at the bedside drop.

Anonymous said...

Can you please tell me Peter what the £1 you are asking for to join your organisation actualy goes towards and also if there is a reduction if you are an oap?

Anonymous said...

The £1 fee is a small contribution towards the cost of campaigning. It is a joining fee to the pressure group PIN. Donations are also welcome; if you care to call 01740 629433 further details of our extensive campaign and manifesto for a better deal for sick people can be discussed

The £1 is indeed a flat fee. We are figting for a flat fee of £1 per day for TV viewing on Patientline's hospital bedside units. That small amount is affordable to all, fair and understandable. It would also mean that Patientline would increase the number of customers that use their equipment. Their over paid executives have missed the well established commercial principle that if the price of a product is reduced sales by volume will thus increase.

Patientline's new charging structure is neither fair or affordable as PIN well continue to effecivly state in the national media.

Thank you anonymous for your interest, I hope you join our campaign.

Anonymous said...

My mother was very recently in hospital with her third heart attack. She had one of these phones over her bed, she requested to buy a card for this phone, so she could be in touch with the family,the cheapest card started at £5.00 to activate this equipment.

This is totally unaceptable. At this rate our elderly can now, no longer afford peace of mind either, or so it would seem.