A FORMER parliamentary candidate from Chatteris has attacked a company that provides bedside television to Peterborough hospital patients, claiming they are “ripping people off left, right and centre”.

Len Baynes, founder of the Fenland branch of UKIP, says that Wandsworth Group company Tele-Call are failing to provide patients at Peterborough District Hospital with television.

He claims that, ever since they failed to win a new contract with the hospital, Tele-call have taken a lax approach to fulfilling the remainder of their existing agreement.

Under the current system, patients buy vouchers from machines on the ward, allowing them to watch television at a cost of �2.50 for 24 hours of viewing.

But Mr Baynes said that over the course of his recent four day stay in hospital, he was only able to watch a couple of hours television despite spending more than ten pounds on the vouchers.

He claims the ward televisions would only work sporadically, and that most of the time they were disconnected and unusable. He also says that the bedside telephones would not work.

He said: “This company are really taking people to the cleaners. They know the machines aren’t working and they haven’t got the means to repair them, and they are still conning people out of all that money.

“The staff said it has been like this for months and they have had plenty of complaints.

“To me it’s just a complete scandal. They are ripping people off left, right and centre.”

John Williams, Support Services Director from the Wandsworth Group, said that Tele-Call’s charges were the lowest in the industry and that, unlike other service providers, they offer refunds for unused vouchers.

Tele-Call has financed and operated 600 beds at Edith Cavell and Peterborough District hospitals under a fifteen year agreement since June 2005.

Mr Williams said: “Our enthusiasm for promoting and maintaining an enjoyable patient entertainment experience has not waned because the consortium decided to purchase simple bedside TVs for the new PFI hospital.

“It is most regrettable that Mr Baynes had a less than satisfying experience during his stay at Peterborough. We strive to please everybody and the vast majority of customers value our service during their recuperation.”