ERI bedside phones: 'If parking fees don't get you, phone calls will'

And there are signs that Hospedia has taken steps to address some concerns about the high costs being paid by a captive market.

But don't believe the hype – the prices on offer still mean vulnerable people will have to pay as much as 1 to make a single phone call.

That's the shortest package available, covering one hour of unlimited TV, radio and internet use plus calls to BT landlines.

Hospedia rightly points out patients who take out a 12-day package at 20 will get all this for a reasonable 1.67 a day. That's good news for long-stay patients and represents a significant saving on old Patientline prices.

But the feeling persists that other patients will still be paying through the nose at this PFI-built hospital.

Older patients with not much interest in TV and none in e-mail and internet games will just be paying out for phone calls.

And those who are only in hospital for a day or two will pay relatively more – and largely for the joy of watching TV that would be free to view at home.

Oh yes, and incoming calls to patients will still cost more than to a normal landline. So if the parking charges don't get you when you visit in person then the phone tariffs will when you call instead.

Hospedia have made some efforts to widen patient choice. But many will still feel unhappy – and fleeced.

Hover bother

SOME people thought it would never happen, but plans for a hovercraft service across the Forth are finally moving forward.

More than two years after a high-profile trial run, Stagecoach and partners have submitted plans for a terminal at Portobello.

Local residents have already expressed their concerns about disruption and noise, and their arguments will rightly be heard once again as part of the planning process.

It is to be hoped they can be resolved, as the ambitious scheme would open up an exciting and potentially environmentally friendly new alternative for commuters and tourists.

But the plan may yet founder on the hardest rock of all – cash. The companies involved say they will need seed money from councils if they are to proceed. Edinburgh in particular has a forward-thinking attitude to new businesses, but in these hard times investment will be hard to come by.