Sunday, April 15, 2007

Patientline II

I really didn't want to get into the Patientline bed-side telephone price-hike debate - my original post on Patientline was not about this, but rather about electronic medical records.

However, in the light of professional medical opinion that mobile phone use in hospitals should be relaxed (that we reported here), of continuing cuts in government spending on the National Health Service, and the trend towards the privatisation of NHS services, it is both interesting and ironic to note that in their Announcement of the results for the year ending 31st March 2006, two of the "challenges" facing the company are
  • Ward closures and an increasing number of empty beds have reduced the number of terminals being used.
  • The relaxation by some trusts of their policy regarding the use of mobile phones within hospitals, despite concerns relating to patient privacy (especially given the photographic capability of most modern mobile phones) and to the intrusion into what should be a quiet environment, has also affected performance.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

I think patientline is a good idea. People are quick to criticise the prices but the fact is, it is a luxury that wasn't there before and people often forget that the company is in millions of pounds worth of debt. The hard fact is that if you can't afford it then its tough. Saying that, my unit broke this week and yet again, noone turned up to fix it. I put a £5 on it that was wasted.

Angus said...

Ahhh ... you drag me evermore into this debate. Ok I will respond some more tomorrow or next but specifically about RMCH which seems to be subverting Patientline!