Being contactable


Transplant Unit

Being contactable


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Notes about phones, pagers and making sure you can be contacted at short notice

To ensure that you are contactable at all times when you are on the transplant waiting list, we recommend that you carry a pager or mobile phone when you leave home. Some advantages and disadvantages of these two contact methods are listed below.

	Pagers
	Mobile phones
	Telephones and answerphones

Pagers : Advantages

	Cheap to run - AAA size batteries last about a month and cost less than Ł1 each - no rental fees to pay
	Relatively cheap to buy - cost about Ł35 for basic design
	Calls to the pager cost you nothing
	Small, reliable and easy to carry
	A pager may be available for loan at no cost to you from your transplant centre or dialysis unit - please ask

Pagers : Disadvantages

	You must find a telephone before you can respond to a call
	Latest news March 2002 : pagers are becoming increasingly difficult to find for purchase in high street stores but may be available from existing stock at central warehouses.

Pagers : General advice

	Pagers are small and easily lost - put a loop through the ring on the pager and loop it around your belt
	Put the pager somewhere that will ensure you remember to take it with you - such as by the front door inside your house - or in a handbag that you always carry.
	Test your pager monthly - otherwise you may not know if it is faulty.
	Check that the pager works in places that you are likely to go - obtain map of areas covered - beware that parts of the country with low population or hills may be without coverage - if in doubt, make a test call from a phone to your pager
	Read the instruction manual carefully, so that you know how to read the number to dial when we have contacted you on your pager - some models are complex - choose a simple design which is user-friendly.
	When you first receive the pager, practice using it and reading its display.
	Familiarise yourself with the signals the pager gives to show you that the batteries need replacement - change the battery promptly.

Mobile phones : Advantages

	You are able to talk to your caller immediately
	You can use the phone for everyday purposes

Mobile phones : Disadvantages

	Can be expensive to run - contracts cost about Ł15 per month - but pay-as-you-go phones can be much cheaper, especially if you make very few outgoing calls.
	Fails if the battery runs out - need to recharge regularly - nickel metal hydride batteries allow recharge of partly charged battery - consider purchase of second battery
	Relatively awkward to carry at all times compared to pagers

Mobile phones : General advice

	Details of contract charges and packages vary widely - - shop around and enquire about tariffs before you buy.
	Coverage varies between service providers - check carefully if network has sufficient signal strength in places that you are likely to go - obtain map of areas covered - beware that parts of the country with low population or hills may be without coverage.
	When you are carrying the phone, occasionally check that the signal strength of your network is satisfactory
	Check carefully if phone will work when you go to the continent - some contracts do not allow international roaming
	Check that international roaming has been properly configured by the company that sells you the phone - ring your telephone service provider's customer services department before you go abroad with the phone for the first time
	Both incoming and outgoing calls when you are abroad may incur charges on your telephone bill

Telephones and answerphones

	Ensure that you can hear your telephone at night and that it is loud enough to wake you up - consider putting an extension into your bedroom
	Don't leave your answerphone switched on when you are asleep unless you are sure that the phone will still wake you up
	For your own security, don't leave details of where you are going on your answerphone

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