A HEALTH watchdog has criticised changes to the cost of watching TV for patients at East Lancashire Hospitals.

Hospedia, formerly known as Patientline, runs the TV, phone and internet system for patients at both Royal Blackburn Hospital and Burnley General Hospital.

Until recently the service cost £3.50 for 12 hours, £5 for 24 hours, and £10 for three days.

But now Hospedia has removed the £3.50 package – much to the frustration of some patients.

However, it said it had introduced a new £2.50 charge for two hours as part of a revised scheme with more benefits.

A Blackburn woman, who did not wish to be named, said she had tried to buy time for her grandfather.

She said: “We were really disappointed. It's a rip off, and £2.50 for two hours is even worse than £3.50 for 12 hours.

“If you're in hospital for a few weeks it soon builds up."

Blackburn health scrutiny chairman Coun Roy Davies is unhappy with the changes.

He said: “If you want to watch the TV and pay for a specific time, say two hours which is £1.25 per hour, the TV will run continually while this two hours is used up.

“You should be able to switch the TV off and that would cease to use the money up, so the patient can cherry pick which programs they want to watch."

A spokesman for Hospedia, which runs systems in more than 150 hospitals across the UK, said it had made a 'commitment to provide patients better value for money and tailored services' when it bought Patientline in 2008.

He said: “Hospedia launched a range of short, medium and long stay bundles that include free unlimited local and national calls, so now up to 9,000 East Lancashire patients a year have unlimited TV, phone, Internet and games for as little as £1.67 per day.

“Patients also receive 30 minutes free TV upon registering, and Hospedia have reduced calls to mobiles to just 25p per minute.

“We spoke to patients at length and they wanted much more flexibility, so we have introduced a range of packages from £2.50 for two hours up to £20 for 12 days. On average patients can save over 30 per cent during their stay."