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Unfortunately, many NHS hospitals have allowed private companies to install phones like this (I just hope they get a kickback and recycle that into patient care) and 60p/min. (or more) numbers are now beside many beds.

I don't agree with your 'understandably' comment in relation to cellphones though.  I find it amazing that cellphones are still banned when hospitals are frequently the site of aerial farms for the cellular companies, ambulance service and others.  They seem able to disregard the fact that base stations like that put out hundreds of watts, not the low power of a mobile.

Having recently had an operation which Bill Clinton copied 2 weeks later, I was astonished to discover when coming to in the Intensive Care Unit that, routinely, cordless telephones were in use there.  Indeed, although I was still connected to numerous monitoring machines, the sister brought a CT2 handset to me so I could speak to my wife when she called in [on 18866 to the private hospital's geographic '0207' number].

I later became aware that the Doctors and Consultants all carried cellular telephones and saw at least 2 answering calls.

Sorry, robert5988, I don't follow your logic there.

Whilst the need to shout to make sure others realise you are on the phone (and have the valuable opportunity of participating in HALF of the associated conversation) may be reduced by the mere fact that such hospital bedside phones are corded, surely their mere provision will similarly encourage the making and receiving of calls at all hours?

Or is the outrageous call cost supposed to suppress those urges?