Families pay 50p a minute to call loved ones in hospital rip-off
ANXIOUS relatives who call patients in hospital are being forced to pay ‘rip-off’ charges of at least 50p a minute.
The fees set by a private firm mean that a 20-minute conversation costs £10 while an hour is £30.
In a further controversy, the company makes callers sit through a patronising, 70- second message before they are connected.
This gives them obvious instructions – even urging them to be ‘patient’ themselves in case their loved one is with medical staff – and means they have shelled out nearly 60p before the conversation has begun.
The system is run by the Britishbased telecoms giant Hospedia, which had revenue of £21.2million last year.
Hospedia also runs TV bedside services in hospitals,which cost up to £35 for five days of viewing.
The firm has contracts with 150 NHS hospitals and installs the system for free in return for pocketing all profits made from patients and relatives.
Ten years ago the watchdog Ofcom urged the Government to review the fees amid concerns they were ‘disproportion- ate’ for families and friends. Although the Department of Health considered putting pressure on the firm to reduce charges or allow callers to skip the recorded message, it later rowed back.
Rather than imposing an outright ban it told hospitals to enforce their own policies.
The charges to the high-rate number beginning 070 are at least 50p a minute from a landline but calls from a mobile phone are likely to be far higher.
Although most patients own a mobile phone, many hospitals do not permit their use on wards in case they disturb others or interfere with medical equipment. This means patients are often reliant on the bedside phone. Details of Hospedia’s latest charges and revenue were uncovered through a series of questions to the firm by the Press Association news agency.
But Hospedia failed to specify how much it made from the 070 number or to address why it had refused to reduce the rates.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: ‘These charges are a total rip off. When channels are free at home and people have already paid for their TV licence, it is unfair for them to need to pay it again. Hospitals
‘Treating the sick as cash cows’
and these businesses are treating the sick as cash cows.
‘From hospital parking charges to TV packages and making people call expensive phone services, it seems like they try to eke out every bit of cash they can. It’s unacceptable.’
The Department of Health said: ‘Suppliers should always put patients first in the way they provide services.
‘Staying connected to friends and family while in hospital is crucial and we expect local hospitals to tackle anything that prevents this.’ A Hospedia spokesman said: ‘ Ofcom granted us use of the 070 number range to enable every bedside unit to have its own unique telephone number so that friends and relatives can call patients directly, alleviating pressure on nursing staff having to field calls.
‘We believe we offer an excellent service, which would not be provided at all if it weren’t for us taking on the investment and on-going management and support costs.’