Free TV move in Sandwell Hospital bug lockdown
Patients at Sandwell Hospital have been offered free TV and phone calls as the hospital enters its third day of lockdown due to the winter vomiting bug.
This move will save patients up to £10 a day.
The West Bromwich hospital was closed to visitors on Tuesday after dozens of patients were struck down with norovirus.
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital Trust said the restrictions were put in place to stop the spread of the virus, and they remain in place today. In a bid to compensate for the lack of visitors patients have been offered free TV and outgoing phone calls.
A complete communicat-ions package which includes all TV and phone calls for £10 a day. Otherwise phone calls cost 10 pence a minute to landlines and 25 pence a minute to mobile phones, and limited TV packages can cost from £2.50.
The communications system in the hospital is run by the firm Hospedia, and pati-ents usually have to buy a a pre-pay card. Three wards remain closed today due to the bug as 21 patients are still affected.
Spokesperson for Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital Trust Sarah Millard said: "We are giving patients free phone calls to enable them to keep in contact with friends and relatives."
Officials said stringent controls were in place to prevent the virus spreading. Sandwell's neighbourhood boss Councillor Ian Jones welcomed the move today. He said: "I think this is a sensible proposal."
