A HUDDERSFIELD hospital boss today slammed plans to charge patients 160% more for making bedside phone calls.
Mark Partington, director of operations for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, says Huddersfield Royal Infirmary was not warned of the price rise.
And he promised to contact phone and TV provider Patientline to highlight his concerns.
The move comes after the firm said it was increasing its call charges from 10p a minute to 26p.
There will also be a 40p minimum charge for outgoing calls.
Mr Partington said: "The news of the increased cost to our patients has come as a shock.
"We're concerned about the implications for people who stay at the Royal Infirmary.
"We have not been formally informed of the price hike and will be contacting Patientline to highlight our worries."
Patientline yesterday announced major changes - including the massive rise in charges.
The company - which lost £25m last year - is to cut the cost of TV to £2.90 a day to compensate for the higher phone calls.
Patients are now charged £3.50 a day to watch television and £2.20 for an hour on the internet.
Patientline now plans to offer the internet and games for free.
A spokesman for Patientline said 70% of its patients spent money on the TV service.
He said: "We want to maintain this popular and valuable service at a value-for-money price.
"So new pricing involves reduced daily rates, plus two new free services, internet and games.
"During April, we will be rolling out a new pricing structure."
People calling hospital beds from outside will continue to be charged 39p per minute off-peak
and 49p a minute peak.
An investigation by Ofcom, which regulates phone and TV services, last year said Patientline could be breaking competition laws because of the high charges for dialling into hospitals.
