Statement by Charles Leon O’Brien Sr., spokesperson, Citizens Reform Group & chairman of KEMH Residents Family Council charity:
When we talk about healthcare reform, the focus is often on major infrastructure projects, staffing shortages, or system-wide transformation. But some of the most meaningful improvements come from addressing quiet, everyday inequities that directly affect patients’ quality of life.
One such inequity exists within our hospital system: long-term care patients are required to pay for television access, while patients in acute wards receive the same service at no charge.
For someone living in a hospital over an extended period, television is not a luxury. It is a means of maintaining normalcy, staying connected to the world, and finding comfort in familiar routines. For patients who are immobile, cognitively impaired, or socially isolated, it can be one of the few consistent points of engagement throughout the day.
Families of long-term care patients have repeatedly raised concerns about this arrangement. Many patients cannot afford the weekly fee. Many have no family members available to manage payments on their behalf. Others are unable to navigate the administrative process required to access the service. The result is an uneven and inequitable experience within a public healthcare system that should, by its very nature, be grounded in fairness.
Over the Christmas period, televisions were provided to long-term care patients free of charge for a limited time. The effect was immediate and notable. Patients were calmer, more cooperative, and visibly more settled in their environment. Nursing staff reported fewer non-clinical interruptions and improved productivity, enabling them to direct greater attention to patient care.
This short-term experience reflected what research and established best practice in long-term care already affirmed: access to simple comforts reduces agitation, stabilises mood, and supports a more effective care environment.
From a financial standpoint, the cost of absorbing television access across long-term care wards is modest relative to the benefits it yields. Centralising and renegotiating the service would remove a meaningful burden from patients while delivering operational efficiencies that support staff and strengthen overall care delivery.
Healthcare is not solely about clinical treatment — it is also about dignity. Standardising television access for long-term care patients is a practical, humane step that reflects the kind of healthcare system we aspire to be: fair, compassionate, and centred on the needs of those who depend on it most.
This proposal has been submitted to hospital administration for consideration.
