Hounded by the National Hawkers Service ; There Are Bedside Salesmen, Sky-High Phone Charges and Exorbitant Parking Fees

Summary

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The time should be precious. After the arrival of a baby, mothers look forward to at least a few days to recover in hospital and bond. But for Kathleen Keyte, 36, there wasn't much peace and quiet after she gave birth to her son Peter at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Instead, she was targeted by salesmen who were sanctioned by the hospital.

'I was constantly being accosted by hawkers,' she says. 'It was like being on one of those beaches in the South of France where seller after seller interrupts your peace.' Kathleen, who lives with her husband, Simon, in Wantage, Oxfordshire, says: 'First, someone came to sell me a picture of my baby. Then they were pushing books of discount vouchers for baby products if I handed over personal information.

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Extract

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Hounded by the National Hawkers Service ; There Are Bedside Salesmen, Sky-High Phone Charges and Exorbitant Parking Fees

'I was on a busy ward so there was no way I could slam the door and put up a sign saying no hawkers or circulars. It felt as if the hospital was selling access to me.' A spokeswoman for Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals...

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