Patientline @ Northern General.

[avid_merrion 10]

Anyone currently browsing the forum using patientline or have you ever used it? Did it work for you and what did you think of it?

[Ms Macbeth 76]

My OH was in NG for a month last year, if he hadn't had the TV and phone, I think he would have gone nuts. Its an expensive service, but we felt the cost was worth it. I don't know how people go on who are really strapped for cash.

 

One point I would make though - it is extremely irritating when other patients don't use their headphones. Not everyone wants the background noise, especially when they are ill. Some of the staff (if they had time) would try and get the selfish ones to use their headphones, but it rarely lasted long. Hospitals can be stressful enough without other patients making it worse.

[Rich 12]

Listen to us at HBS via your Patientline, you can do that for nowt!

 

Look at the web site link in my sig for further details.

[ukstudent 10]

What is this service please?

 

Any whats the cost?

 

Thanks

[Rich 12]

What is this service please?

 

Any whats the cost?

 

Thanks

 

Explanation of Patientline

 

Isn't Google wonderful?

[ukstudent 10]

Alright

 

Cheers

[medusa 16]

When I was in hospital for 2 months it was before Patientline was invented and in a ward with no day room, no TV of any sort and no radio reception. The thing by the side of the bed that was meant to allow me to get hospital radio was broken and wasn't repaired in the whole 2 months that I was there, so the only things that I had for entertainment were books and magazines that people brought in for me and a couple of CDs that I brought from home with me for the planned 5 days I was due to be in.

 

I really must have been ill because I didn't really think that it was much of a problem.

[Rich 12]

And if you're in the Hallamshire on a Wednesday, between 12 and 3 PM, tune in to Hospital Radio on channel 1 for free to listen to me, Chris Fox and Rachel Berry playing your requests and doing lively chat, if you want to request a song, ring *800 on your Patientline handset, completely free of charge, and either me or Rachel will answer the phone and get your requests.

 

The 12 till 3 request show happens every day 7 days a week, you can ring up any time for a request, if nobody's there leave a message on teh answerphone and it will be answered when someone comes.

[ragtag 10]

Loads of people grumble about the cost of Patientline, especially phone calls. I'm not a great tv fan so I'd tell my wife to fetch me some books by my favourite authors. Some books are so good you can't put them down. Apart from reading, I wouldn't mind having a laptop with me in hospital. Does anyone know if patients are allowed laptops and, if so, if they are allowed to recharge them using the hospital's electricity supply?

[Rich 12]

Loads of people grumble about the cost of Patientline, especially phone calls. I'm not a great tv fan so I'd tell my wife to fetch me some books by my favourite authors. Some books are so good you can't put them down. Apart from reading, I wouldn't mind having a laptop with me in hospital. Does anyone know if patients are allowed laptops and, if so, if they are allowed to recharge them using the hospital's electricity supply?

 

I highly doubt it, as they'd state that it would probably interfere with powering their own equipment.

 

You could always ask though, just don't be surprised or offended when they turn round and say no.

[Rich 12]

I imagine they would also cite electrical safety testing when they said no.

 

Oh yeah, cos Laptops from outside teh Hospital haven't been PAT tested by the Hospital's own PAT testing service, so they're not certified as safe.

 

I know about PAT testing cos me Dad does it for a living.

[medusa 16]

If you have a relative who is prepared to take your laptop home and charge it for you then bring it back though you can still get to use a computer for having a game of cards or whatever. I did it once for someone who was taken ill very unexpectedly and who had to sort out lots of business issues while he was in intensive care. I downloaded all of his messages to the laptop, took it in charged, he typed up all of the answers that he needed to send and then I took the lappy home, connected it up and sent all of his messages.