THE cost of watching television in Worcestershire's hospitals has risen by £1.20 a day for elderly people.

Over 65s used to pay £1.70 a day to use their bedside TV and phone provided by Patientline - but the company has scrapped the cut-price rate meaning the elderly will have to pay the full £2.90 a day cost. The rate for long-stay patients also rises rises by 30p a day, from £1.70 to £2 a day.

The Worcester News reported in April how Patientline increased the cost of outgoing calls from bedside phones from 10p a minute to 26p a minute.

At the time, Patientline said the cost of the complete bedside package had been reduced from £3.50 to £2.90, but it did not reveal it had scrapped the discounted rate for the elderly.

Ron Chambers, chairman of Worcestershire Pensioners Action Group said: "I think it's disgusting. Some elderly people have been through at least one world war and they are just being treated like nobodies. It is scandalous. If people haven't anybody to visit them, their only contact is through the TV."

He said he'd like Patientline to suspend costs to the elderly.

"Television is all many elderly people have so to go to hospital and start paying for it is disgusting," he said.

A Patientline spokesman said: "Patientline simplified its service tariffs and ran a communications programme to make activation of bedside services easier. The new rate for 24 hours television is £2.90 in-cluding internet and games."

However, Mr Chambers said elderly patients would not use such services. "I cannot see elderly people going on the internet or playing games. They just want a bit of TV."