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FOI Request 2127 - Bedside Units |
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Written by FOI Lead
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| Case Number |
2127 |
| Request Date |
16/07/2010 |
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Details of the Request
- I want to confirm whether any hospitals under the management of the Trust have a contract with any company to provide bedside telephone/television units?
- If so, I would like to know which company provides these services when the agreement or contract was signed; and for how long the agreement or contract will be in place?
- If the company was providing bedside units prior to 2007, if the contract was renegotiated in 2007
- What is the Trust’s policy on the use of mobile phones within the hospitals under the management of the Trust, and when were written guidelines introduced?
- Did the Trust consult with the company providing and operating bedside units when compling the Trust’s policy on the use of mobile phones after guidelines were issued by the Department of Health in January 2009?
- What are the charges made to patients for the use of the bedside units (for telephone and television usage)?
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| Completion Date |
11/10/2010 |
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Details of the Response
Thank you for your request to Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust regarding the following:
- Since 2007 I understand that companies installing and providing bedside telephone and television units do not have to apply for a licence from the Department of Health/NHS prior to tendering for contracts to provide the units at NHS hospitals. I want to confirm whether any hospitals under the management of the Trust have a contract with any company to provide bedside telephone/television units? If so, I would like to know which company provides these services; when the agreement or contract was signed; and for how long the agreement or contract will be in place?
HospiCom, 01/12/2002,15 years.
- I would also like to know if the company was providing bedside units prior to 2007, if the contract was renegotiated in 2007 (after the necessity for national licenses was removed), and if so, which if any terms of the contract were changed – and what the details of those clauses were.
No, this was not renegotiated.
- Has the Trust or any of the hospitals under the management of the Trust had more than one company provide bedside telephone/television units? If so, which companies have provided the units, when, and for how long?
No.
- I would like to confirm whether any clauses in any of the agreement(s) or contract(s) signed before or after 2007 relate to the use of mobile phones within the hospitals under the management of the Trust, and if so, what is the exact wording of the clause(s)?
No mention is made in the contract with Hospicom. However, the Trust does have a policy on the use of mobile phones.
- What are the charges made to patients for the use of the bedside units (for telephone and television usage)?
Please see attached a scanned copy of the leaflet available to patients on the wards which identifies the various charges for each service.
- Is the Trust able, under the terms of the agreement or contract, to advise or request changes to the prices charged for usage of the bedside units?
No.
- Has the Trust ever tried to initiate changes to the pricing of telephone and television usage on the bedside units? If so, when, and for what reason?
No. As the charges for the Hospicom system have always been below that of competitor systems.
- Have the charges for making or receiving calls, or watching the television, changed since the introduction of the bedside units at hospitals managed by the Trust? If so when, and by how much?
The cost of UK calls has remained at 10p per minute, calls to EU countries has risen from 10-15p, Other international calls have remained unchanged. The charge to view TV packages has risen from £2.00 to £3.50, although there is free viewing at certain times of day as indicated.
- Has the Trust received any complaints from patients about the bedside units? If so, I would like to know how many complaints have been received; when; and what exactly the complaints related to?
Any complaints would be made direct to Hospicom.
- Is the cleaning of the bedside units the responsibility of the Trust or of the company operating the units?
Contractually the cleaning of the bedside units is the responsibility of Hospicom. However, the Trusts housekeeping team inspect the units during their cleaning rotas and will clean if required.
- Does the Trust generate any income from the agreement or contract with the provider of the bedside units? If so, how much is this worth annually, and under what terms is the income received?
No, the Trust does not generate or receive any income from the provision of this service.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 19 May 2011 12:35 )
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FOI Responses 
