‘Talk about the Grinch’: Oldham hospital patients told to pay for TV before Christmas

Karol Williams said her 87-year-old mother has been in the hospital for the past five weeks and will likely be around the holiday season.

However, the woman said that with Christmas five days away, the hospital had reinstated charges for patients to watch TV and her mother had been unable to watch Emmerdale at no cost.

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Williams said, “Talk about the Grinch.

“It’s £7 a day for all the normal channels, so patients over Christmas have to pay now.

“Their timing couldn’t be more inopportune.

“Someone has given permission, right before Christmas, so people who don’t get visitors can’t even watch TV without it costing a lot.”

The worried woman said the charges were suddenly introduced without warning and said costs could soon rise for vulnerable patients.

If her mother had paid the fixed daily rate up until now, it would have cost £245 in total.

The fees have been rolled out at the hospital after the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Royal Oldham, withdrew funding for TV and entertainment packages from 16 December.

A spokesman for Spark TSL, which has taken over Hospedia Ltd and runs entertainment at Royal Oldham, said the company is working hard to try and restore free-to-air television across the hospital and is keen to make patient entertainment free.

However, the company has admitted that “budgetary constraints are tight” with the trust.

Spark TSL also said there are a number of packages for patients to choose from, depending on the length of stay.

The website says access to all TV channels for a day costs patients £7.90, rising to £9.90 for films, while patients staying in hospital for three days can pay £19.90 to watch TV or £34.90 for a seven-day package .

Meanwhile, longer stays of 30 days cost £59.90.

A day rate to watch TV is costing patients £7.90, although ‘savings’ can be made on longer stay packages. (Image: Karol Williams)

Children in hospital have a slightly reduced fee for watching TV, from £1.90 for two hours of TV to £10 for three days (including children’s films) or £15 for five days.

Williams continued: “Imagine people having to pay for that amount of time.

“Seniors don’t use iPads to download programs.

“I found out when I went to get my mum’s TV ready for Emmerdale and I couldn’t figure out why she was taking me to checkout.

“Just pure timing of it – you can’t get it wrong.”

Spark LTD said patients can choose from “as little as £2 a day” and advised those staying in hospital for longer periods should call the 24/7 helpline to find the right bedside package deal.

A spokesman for the company said: “We were able to offer free TV to patients at Royal Oldham Hospital until December 16, unfortunately due to pressures from the NHS, the funding allocated to free TV by the trust was withdrawn.

“We are working with the trust to re-establish this important service, but budget constraints are tight.

“Meanwhile, TV is free until noon and calls are also free.

“Patients who want to watch TV outside of the free period have a choice of packages for as little as £2 a day.”

Spark LTD has also said it will offer free-to-air TV in all UK hospitals over Christmas and Boxing Day.

The spokesperson added: “SPARK is committed to finding ways to make our services available to patients free of charge.

“The patrons want the same thing and we are collectively doing everything we can to make it happen.”

The news is that nurses and staff at Royal Oldham Hospital are being unfairly and financially penalized for using the staff car park.

A nurse said she was one of several to receive a fixed penalty notice and £70 fine for using a hospital car park after being refused NHS permission for the first time in seven years by the Northern Care Alliance.

Other hospital staff said parking enforcement was “broken” and only the “lucky ones” got permission.

The Northern Care Alliance has been approached for comment.

If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham, from food reviews and local business news, music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or message @Livbridge on Twitter with your news.