Appeal for review of Royal Oldham Hospital's mobile phone policy - Alcock

7.08.00am GMT Tue 20th Jan 2009

Royal Oldham Hospital has been called upon to review their mobile phone policy as soon as possible by Parliamentary spokesperson for Oldham West & Royton Mark Alcock, following the relaxation of the government ban on there use.

Allowing for greater use of mobile phones will allow patients to avoid costly in-house phone services like the one at Oldham Hospital that often charge near premium rates for making and receiving calls.

Mark Alcock has written to the chief executive of The Royal Oldham Hospital and the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust calling for an urgent review.

The Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Oldham West & Royton said:

"I hope The Royal Oldham Hospital's management will seize this opportunity to review their policy and give patients the greatest freedom possible to stay in touch, as anyone who has stayed or visited people in hospital will know, it is a very stressful time and keeping in touch can be so costly but so very important to their recovery.

"Of course there must continue to be sensible restrictions to preserve tranquillity and protect privacy. However, I think it's easy to underestimate the holistic benefits of being able to receive a goodnight text from a loved one when you're ill.

"I hope The Royal Oldham Hospital will act swiftly to see if greater use can be allowed."

"The exorbitant rate of hospital phone services can mean that people, particularly those on lower incomes, are virtually cut off from friends and family when they need them most. The Royal Oldham Hospital must do what they can to help patients stay connected."