Home UK MP slams rip-off hospital TV fees as another tax on the poor

MP slams rip-off hospital TV fees as another tax on the poor

August 17, 2018

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Expensive hospital TV fees have been branded another tax on the poorest in society by the MP who helped expose how much NHS trusts rake in from car parking charges.

Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood has backed the campaign launched by Rebeka OConnor who has forked out more than £200 (£5 a day) to watch TV at Birminghams Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Rebeka, who has spent over 80 days in hospital this year, told Metro.co.uk she was launching a campaign to scrap TV fees from her hospital bed.

Woman wants to start a revolution from her hospital bed over rip off TV fees Picture: Supplied METROGRAB — Rebeka OConnor believes hospital TV fees are scandalous (Picture: Rebeka OConnor)

Mr Mahmood is Rebekas MP and hes backing her campaign all the way.

He said: This is just another example of how the poorest people in society are being forced to pay over the odds for something they should not even have to pay for.

We have seen this before with parking charges on hospital car parks which prevents visitors seeing their loved ones when they need to see them the most.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Richard Gardner/REX/Shutterstock (1433976c) Khalid Mahmood MP 'The Ties that Bind' report launch at the Policy Exchange, London, Britain - 05 Sep 2011 Publication of 'Ties That Bind: How the story of Britain's Muslim Soldiers can forge a national identity', report describing Muslims' long and distinguished record of service in the British armed forces. — Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood believes NHS car park charges and TV fees are a tax on the poor (Picture: Rex)

The NHS happily rents out equipment to unscrupulous profiteering companies who are charging patients huge fees. The wifi is never good enough in hospitals.

He added: I totally back Rebekas campaign to scrap these TV fees. For those who cannot afford to watch TV in hospital, they become even more isolated and less informed.

Since Metro.co.uks story this morning about Rebeka exposing the cost of the TV fees she has been inundated with support and well wishes.

She said: Ive spoken to loads of patients, they all think its scandalous. Even my own auntie has been in touch to say she would have recovered in hospital a lot quicker if she could have afforded to watch TV.

Rebeka O'Connor Woman wants to start a revolution from her hospital bed over rip off TV fees Copyright Rebeka O'Connor — Rebeka OConnor has to load her Premier Bedside card up with cash to watch TV (Picture: Rebeka OConnor)

The TVs at Queen Elizabeth Hospital are operated by private company Premier Telesolutions and can cost £5 a day to use. However, in other hospitals entertainment packages are even more expensive.

Patients in hospitals which use Hospedia, which has 60,000 bedside units in more than 160 sites across the NHS, can pay an eye-watering £9.90 a day to watch TV.

Hospedia in the past has said the TV and phone pricing scheme it works under was mandated by the Government in 2000 through the Patient Power Project.

Rebeka added: It really has struck a nerve, and I will do everything I can to stop people forgetting about the issue.

Rebeka O???Connor Woman wants to start a revolution from her hospital bed over rip off TV fees — Rebeka OConnor has spent over 80 days in hospital this year with various infections (Picture: Rebeka OConnor)

I have cried and cried seeing elderly people being so isolated and sad, knowing a bit of TV would really cheer them up.

A spokesman for Queen Elizabeth Hospital said: Premier Telesolutions is a private company which made the investment to install the bedside equipment, something which the hospital could not afford to do, and therefore had the right to set the prices.

The hospital has recently installed wifi which patients can use to watch entertainment on their phones and tablets.

Premier Telesolutions has not responded to requests for comment.

However, the Gloucestershire firms website, said: Over the past two decades Premier Telesolutions has worked hard to develop a range of technologically advanced products and services.