Patientline - who has well earnt the title of probably the most hated company in Britain - the hospital bedside telephone operator that provoked outrage by hiking the price of calls to patients last April has reported widened first half losses prompting fears for its immediate future.
Patientline which said two months ago it was in danger of collapse, is in the midst of restructuring its £85.7 million debt and warned that its shares are about to become worthless. Patientline's operating loss has trebled to £11.2 million, while loss before tax doubled to £15.3 million, in the six months to 28 September. Revenue for the year fell 22 per cent, led by a 31 per cent decline in revenue from incoming calls.
The company has confirmed that its liabilities exceed assets by £43.1 million. Today the company is continuing talks with its patient bankers to yet again reschedule its mounting debt, though as the debt is increasing faast and the revenue falling sharply it is likely that the company will command as much confidence with its bankers as it does with hospital patients and staff.
The companie's revenues plunged following patients outrage at the 160 per cent increase in the cost of calling patients on the companies bedside units introduced in April as well as an increase in the cost for older patients to view tv. The fallout from the Director's crassly stupid decision to upset the life blood to its business is well covered on this blog.
Various management speech statements from the company Chairman Geoff White detailing structural changes in the troubled company this week would win the 'Rearranging Deckchairs on the Titanic Award' of 2007.
Jobseekers who are considering applying for any of the vacancies currently being advertised by Patientline are advised by this blog that they will be better of by not doing so.
1 comment:
As an ex Patientline employee from the Call Centre in Dumfries I can confirm today the company is shafting everyone from employees to consumers that use the service. The equipment is hopelessly outdated with a never ending set of faults that never get fixed leading to a lot of frustrated customers. The staff in the hospital try their best but the technical support for them is non existent they also suffer from a woeful lack of training. The training in the Call Centre is also pitiful, people are practically thrown on the phones with no experience of the system which in turn frustrates our customers. All in all the company is f*cked and would be better crawling back under the rock it was conceived from.
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