Dozens of patients and aged-care residents at a country hospital are relying on “totally unacceptable” old-fashioned bells for staff assistance and emergencies, angering the son of a woman who died from a terminal illness. The nurse call system and buttons beside each bed at the Bordertown Memorial Hospital have been out of action for nearly a month because of an electrical fault, which also affected the hospital’s notification of ambulance arrivals. Country Health SA says it hopes the parts required the fix the issue, costing $5000, would arrive this week.