The Department of Health in England has finally issued guidance on more widespread use of mobiles in hospitals, five years after it was reported outright bans weren’t needed.
This is an issue BMA Cymru Wales drew attention to last Summer, when it was announced hospitals it Wrexham and Flintshire were easing the rules.
It would be good for patients, putting an end to the excessive cost of making and receiving hospital calls. They shouldn’t be punished financially, at the very time they need to keep in touch with their friends and relatives.
Removing the ban on the use of mobile phones would also enable easier communication between doctors, which would be good news to patients ultimately, because it would mean better use of doctors' time.
So long as places where phones shouldn’t be used are clearly marked, and patients aren’t
unduly disturbed by others using their mobiles and they’re kept out of areas with sensitive medical equipment, then I would hope ALL Trusts around Wales will look at their current policies and remove any restrictions on using mobiles.
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19 hours ago
Yeah, that's another great idea from the BMA! In fact, I've been trying to find more on your website - is this just a Welsh thing, then?
ReplyDeleteCan't imagine how nice it will be to be lying ill on a hospital bed having to deal with a variety of differing ring tones. And what about the indignity of people filming/taking pictures of patients with their mobile phones.
Exactly how is this going to imporve patient care? If you want to remove the burden of the cost of call charges - why don't you just call for all hospital phones to be free of charge - subsidised by one of the large providers in lieu of free advertising?
It's not rocket science. Come on BMA, you need to raise your game!