An increasing number of hospital patients are being forced to watch bedside TV that cannot be turned off. Many of the 17, 500 (figures correct summer 2004) “integrated entertainment centres” in the 33 hospitals that have installed it are on for 15 hours a day. Patients have to pay to watch anything other than a constant stream of adverts. These systems are operated by a company called Patient-line. If you or your relatives are traumatised by this bombardment write to your MP and to the hospital concerned.

Blood Donation

Many blood donation sessions direct muzak at the blood donors and some individuals have reported that they no longer give blood because of this noise pollution. Interestingly, research among blood donors at Nottingham showed that those who were exposed to background music were more stressed than a control group without. So why play it? More for the needs of staff than the needs of patients?

If you are in this situation try writing to Trust Headquarters saying that you will no longer give blood unless you can do so without being annoyed by piped music. Send a copy to your MP, asking him to raise this with the Department of Health -- and say in your letter to Regional Headquarters that you are doing that.

Hospitals

The Royal Brompton Heart and Lung Hospital is now free of muzak and piped music is not allowed in any department.

Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth: beware of going in for an operation at this hospital because wall to wall pop muzak may well be directed at you in theatre. The advice is to opt for a general anaesthetic rather than local - that way its only the theatre staff who will have to put up with the muzak - although you would be right to worry about their reduced efficiency!

Write to your MP and Trust Headquarters about this.

GPs face fines over waiting room music July 2006)

Some good news for patients in the UK:

“Doctors’ surgeries have been warned to stop playing music in their waiting rooms or face fines for breach of copyright. The Performing Rights Society (PRS) has told all GPs in Scotland that they could face legal action for playing background music without a licence, after a swoop on random surgeries.

Many GPs use music from radios and CD players to annoy and frustrate patients and to protect their confidentiality by drowning out conversations with their doctor or other practice staff. However, according to the PRS hundreds are breaking the law by playing music in their waiting rooms without a licence It is estimated that up to £52,000 could be raised for composers, performers and music publishers by forcing surgeries to purchase a licence worth £75 a year. The only alternative is to stop playing music altogether or subject patients to piped Muzak, which is not subject to the same royalty arrangements but which also costs money.

A spokesman for the PRS defended the move, which is part of a UK-wide campaign to recoup royalties from businesses and other organisations. “The money received for these licences will be divided between composers and songwriters, the vast majority of whom are jobbing composers and songwriters, not the big names that most people think of,” the spokesman said. “We only charge for music being played in waiting areas, we do not charge for music used for a therapy session or a treatment room. “We want to make doctors aware that they may need a licence. We expect most of them to comply but ultimately an injunction could be issued to stop music being played and the doctor involved could be required to pick up the court costs.”

Dr Barbara West, a Glasgow GP and secretary of the Glasgow and Clyde local medical committee, is among those who have been targeted. “This is not a joke, the PRS are very serious about it,” she said. “They have been targeting GP practices throughout Scotland and have sent us a letter warning that for using music, whether it’s on the television, radio, CD or when we put telephone calls on hold, we need a licence.