asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the cost to hospital in-patients of making and receiving landline telephone calls.

My Lords, patients make telephone calls by using the bedside telephone system or hospital payphones. Bedside telephones are managed by three major service providers. Two providers charge 10 pence per minute for making an outgoing call and the other charges 26 pence per minute. Payphone charges vary at trust level according to local agreements with the chosen service provider.

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for that Answer. Will he confirm that the company that charges 26 pence per minute for patients to make calls covers 75 per cent of all calling opportunities for patients? Given those high costs and given that telephone calling is an important link for people who are going through a stressful time while they are ill in bed, why can they not use mobile phones in the same way that doctors can?

My Lords, my noble friend is absolutely right to draw attention to the issue. I am sure that there has been general concern about the very large increase in call costs in relation to the company that he mentioned. He is right that it has a large proportion of the units in NHS hospitals, but these have brought a great deal of benefit to patients. New guidance issued by the department this month makes it clear that mobile phones can be used in certain areas but not in clinical areas. One must feel for patients who want peace and quiet if there is huge use of mobile phones on a ward. However, I agree with my noble friend's point about doctors.

My Lords, do the trusts that award the contracts to specific firms get any benefit from doing so?

No, my Lords. The benefit comes to the patients in using the units and having access to television channels and the radio. The trust gets no financial benefit. However, surveys show a very high satisfaction rate among patients who use the units, as they bring an additional service.

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that research has been done in Melbourne Australia and at the Mayo Clinic in the United States? The latest paper from the Mayo Clinic published in March clearly shows that in 300 tests of mobile phones in 75 patient areas there was no evidence at all of any interference with medical equipment. Interference had occurred previously only when phones had been used within one metre of equipment, but, with modern technology, that no longer applies.

My Lords, my noble friend raises a very fair point. I understand that the MHRA, the regulatory body, has looked at this and has suggested that individual trusts undertake their own risk assessments, taking account of the research that my noble friend has mentioned.

My Lords, the Minister has already told us that the Government say there is no reason not to use mobile phones in hospitals. Can he comment on the accuracy of BBC reports that some hospitals have nevertheless banned the use of mobile phones because they are tied to contracts with pay-as-you-go phone companies?

My Lords, I have seen the standard documentation that related to the original licensing and there was no blanket ban on the use of mobile phones, although there were qualifications around it. Some trusts may have gone further than they needed to, but they will be absolutely clear from the guidance issued this month by my department that there is no reason for a total prohibition. However, a balance has to be struck here. Patients on wards—rather like passengers in railway carriages—do not want to be bombarded with very noisy people using mobile phones. Mobile phones can also be used to take pictures and it is not appropriate for them to be used in clinical areas. It is better that mobiles are used in non-clinical areas, where their use is entirely appropriate.

My Lords, everyone has telephones at home and everyone rings everywhere—gas, electricity and so on. In hospitals, if a phone rings and one is ill, will there be an answering message saying, "Press button 1; press button 2; if you are dying press button 3"? Are we really getting into that mode in the health service?

My Lords, there is probably a contrast between a general switchboard and the phone number of the individual ward. Of course, the whole point about these individual patient units is that relatives and friends can ring a patient directly. That is why, overall, this has been a very successful project. It has brought much benefit to patients. I understand the concern about the huge increase in price, but overall patients have very much enjoyed the new facility.

My Lords, is the Minister aware that one can pay in advance by credit card for these patient lines, but one cannot get the money back again? Over the past two weeks, I have paid, in advance, £10 on one ward and £10 on another ward for a patient line for my mother to use. She was then transferred to another ward but there is no way of getting back that money. It is money down the drain. For me, that does not matter, but for many others it would matter. Is that a convenience for patients? I have seen the phones used in many hospitals around east London, but I had no idea, until I had to use one myself, how expensive they are for patients to use.

My Lords, I am very sorry to hear of the financial loss to the noble Baroness. I am sure we all express our deep concern to her. The phones have brought a great deal of advantage to many patients and patients do not have to use the system if they do not want to. Pay phones are still available in hospitals and in some cases the old trolley phones can be rolled out. There has to be a balance. The introduction of the system has come at no cost to the National Health Service and it has brought great advantages to many patients. Noble Lords are understandably concerned about the huge increase in prices. That is a matter for individual trusts to discuss with the company concerned. Overall, surely it is best that patients have much greater access and immediate access to phones and television and radio services.

My Lords, despite the criticism of this service, I, as a user of it some time ago, have nothing but the greatest of praise for it. It provides access to a patient in hospital that is, to my mind, unique. I thank the Government for agreeing to this service.

My Lords, we should listen to the voice of the patients.