The cost of making a phone call in hospital systems operated by Patientline might soon be reduced by over 50 percent.
Call costs for thousands of patients in British hospitals could soon be lessened, the new owner of Patientline has said.
The firm, which has recently overhauled its board through a takeover after entering administration, said that it intends to cut the controversial landline rates, which run at up to 49p per minute. Hospedia, the company which completed the Patientline takeover, is also currently in the process of buying up rival hospital landlines provider Premier Telesolutions.
It is understood that Patientline's new rates will be brought in line with Premier's, and will therefore fall to around 20p per minute. Hospedia, a newly-created company run by Premier's current chief Tim Weil, is also promising to boost landline terminal numbers in hospitals by 20,000, and to improve internet access to the centres.
However, these upgrades are not certain to happen, as both takeovers are currently being scrutinised by the Office of Fair Trading - which will make its decision on their validity by October.
A Patientline spokesman said: "After many months of working to turn around Patientline and exploring many potential options, I am convinced that this transaction is in the best interests of our customers, staff and banks."
Patientline entered administration earlier this year after racking up debts of around £85 million.
