Hospedia, the company that runs the bedside TV and Phone Service at St Mary’s Hospital have announced that during the Covid-19 crisis, outgoing calls to certain numbers will now be free of charge.
The move comes as Vodafone, 02, EE and Three say they will remove the fees they charge for relatives to make calls to hospital patients during the pandemic Coronavirus crisis.
Hospedia have been criticised for not doing the same.
Free outbound calls
On their Website Hospedia say,
Patients can make free outbound calls from their bedside unit to numbers starting 01, 02, 03 and mobiles at all times.
Warning: If you call a patient from a landline or mobile, Hospedia charges 13p per minute to cover the cost of running the service. However, you may be charged up to 78p per minute because your network operator charges up to 65p per minute. Hospedia never receives more than 13p per minute.
Beware of calling into the hospital though, as the BBC reports, “one woman had been charged more than £11 to make a 16-minute call to her elderly mother”.
Charge and top up data
If you know someone being taken into hospital worth making sure their mobile phone is charged and data topped up. We understand that WiFi is only available to staff (but will update once we are able to confirm).
More details about call charges to and from hospital beds can be found on the BBC Website.
Government Covid-19 guidance: Stay alert and stay safe
Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently (video tips).
Social distancing
It is recommended that you maintain at least a two metre gap (about 6.5ft) from people who are not from your household.
Seeking advice
Use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service that can tell if you need medical help and advise you what to do.
Image: Diogo Brandao under CC BY 2.0
