http://www.ehiprimarycare.com/news/item.cfm?ID=2382

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GP practices are to be encouraged to adopt a new 03 telephone number or use a local geographic number for patients to contact them on.

Former health minister Lord Warner, who retired at the end of last month, wrote to primary care trust chief executives in December about the use of non-geographical 084 numbers by NHS services.

The letter states that Ofcom, the independent regulator for the UK communications industries, is to introduce a new 03 number from early this year. The country-wide number will be charged at geographical rates and can be included in any inclusive or low-cost call packages offered by landline or mobile phone companies. No revenue sharing will be permitted on 03 numbers.

Lord Warner instructs PCT chief exectuives to ensure that NHS dentists, opticians and GP practices and out-of-hours providers consider the best options for their patients “who should not have to pay over the odds to contact their local services.”

The letter states: “There has been no explicit requirement made by Ofcom for practices to adopt a 03 telephone number but this clearly has attractions.”

Lord Warner states that it is for individual practices to decide what is in their customers’ best interest but adds “normally this will mean the lowest cost per call to the patients (local geographic number or adopting a 03 number).”

The letter adds that any financial implications from action taken will have to be met from within existing resources. In 2005 the Department of Health banned GP practices and dentists from using national or premium rate lines (0870 or 0871) and made payments of £500 per practice to cover lost revenue. At that time it was suggested practices could move to 0844 or 0845 numbers which cost up to 5p per minute from a BT line.

When Ofcom announced the creation of the 03 numbers earlier last year it claimed that the numbers would enable organisations to offer consumers a single national point of contact without making additional charges for the service.

It added: “This should give consumers confidence about calling 03 and Ofcom expects public services and many others to view 03 numbers as more appropriate than chargeable 08 numbers.”
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[bang head against wall mode on] Fat chance! [/bang head against wall mode]

Quote:

[bang head against wall mode on] Fat chance! [/bang head against wall mode]

Absolutely! Pigs will fly before this happens. The easy revenue stream from 0844  numbers is far too valuable......oh, and sod the patients!

Ofcom's pathetic and spineless inaction over Patientline says that it will be equally pathetic and spineless in failing to close down the NEG 0844 doctors scam altogether and equally pathetically useless in not banning the use of the term local rate to describe 0844 and 0845 numbers even though they are not.  After all a few chums of New Labour who have paid for peerages or might pay for peerages in the future might get upset mightn't they? ;) ::)

And Ms Colette Bowe and her utterly supine colleagues on the Ofcom Consumer Gravy Train (www.ofcomconsumerpanel.org.uk) will release not one press release or word of objection about this total failure of the UK citizen consumer by an organisation who is supposed to consider them as being their "principal duy" to protect.

Lord Warner's letter:

http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/14/16/50/04141650.pdf

To: PCT Chief Executives
Gateway: 7632
19 December 2006
Dear Colleagues,

Use of Non-Geographical (‘084’) Telephone Numbers to contact NHS
Services.

On the 11 April 2005, the Department of Health wrote to PCT Chief
Executive’s advising them that the Department was reviewing the use of nongeographical
(‘084’) telephone numbers for patients to contact NHS services,
in the light of a consultation being carried out by Ofcom. The purpose of the
letter was to ensure that practices that were considering changing to nongeographical
telephone numbers were aware of the review before making a
decision

I am now writing to advise you that Ofcom, as a result of its latest
consultation, has decided to create a new country-wide number range - '03' -
which would be charged to the consumer at the same rate as calling a
geographical number and could be included in any inclusive or low-cost call
packages offered by landline or mobile phone companies. The '03' number
range is due to be introduced in early 2007. There has been no explicit
requirement made by Ofcom for practices to adopt a '03' telephone number
but this clearly has attractions.

I would also like to draw your attention to the Central Office of Information
(COI) guidance on telephone numbering and ask you to ensure that NHS
dentists, NHS opticians and GP practices, including out-of-hours providers in
your area, consider carefully the best option for their patients who should not
have to pay over the odds to contact their local services.

It is for individual practices to decide what is in their customer’s best interests,
taking account of the COI guidance on Cost to the Citizen. Normally this will
mean the lowest cost per call to the patient (local geographic number or
adopting a ‘03’ number).

I would also like you to consider what actions you need to take locally to
ensure that patients telephoning practices do not pay more than they would if
they called a local geographical telephone number. Any financial implications
from actions undertaken locally will have to be met within existing resources.
I would be grateful if you would ensure that all NHS dentists, NHS opticians
and GP practices, including out-of-hours providers in your area receive this
information.

We will be considering further any other action needed to optimise patient
access to services.

Yours sincerely

NORMAN WARNER

While it is clearly commendable that this letter has been sent I don't think it sets out nearly explicitly enough or in layman's terms why 0844 numbers used by NEG doctor surgeries are not local rate and never have been and also why 0845 numbers once considered as local rate no longer are.

I think the whole business of 01/02 numbers costing 5.5p for one hour off peak and 084 numbers costing up to £3.00 per hour off peak  also needs to be mentioned.  Also the vast extra costs of 450% or more extra from BT Payphones and up to 40p per minute at all times from Pay As You Go mobile numbers and exclusion from mobile phone bundled minutes also needs to be explained.

Also I certainly don't think it is good enough for this to be a matter for doctors surgeries to decide on individually.   There was a central direction that they must not use 087 numbers so why is there now not also a direction that they must not use 084 numbers? :-/ >:( :'(

Presumably Lord Warner can be contacted via norman.warner@dh.gsi.gov.uk and/or warnern@parliament.uk or if both of these bounce back or do not get Read Receipts then try contacting Lord Warner via www.writetothem.com and its section for contacting members of the House of Lords.  I think people need to tell him that this letter does not go far enough and that there needs to be a total ban on the use of anything other than 01, 02 or 03 numbers by doctors surgeries.

I think that it's safe to say that NEG legal people have been down this avenue and ensured that all contracts drawn up ensure that it will get the same amount from surgeries on 03 numbers as 0844s. That is to say that I imagine that they will have to subsidise it if they move to 03xx.

Dave wrote on Jan 5^th, 2007 at 11:25am:

I think that it's safe to say that NEG legal people have been down this avenue and ensured that all contracts drawn up ensure that it will get the same amount from surgeries on 03 numbers as 0844s. That is to say that I imagine that they will have to subsidise it if they move to 03xx.

It is of course no different from ending a contract early with a broadband ISP who has given you free connection and free ADSL wireless router.  You can leave but they still get the money they have paid on your behalf back directly rather than hidden in the 12 monthly payments.

Although I despise businessmen who try to make money the NEG way the main parties at fault here are (a) Ofcom for failing to move all NGN revenue share on to 09 codes so making their use politically unacceptable in most situations by business and and (b) the greedy and stupid people who become doctors surgeries practice managers who were more concerned about an exciting sounding new piece of kit than about charging the sick and the elderly a premium rate for calling them.   And if any doctors surgery practice manager says they didn't understand this was the consequence of such a contract they should be fired immediately for incompetence.

The government allowed the 084/7 scam system to develop so the government should now buy itself out of using them and issue a blanket edict that government departments agencies and organisations must only use 01/02/03 numbers charged at normal call rates wnd without any revenue share involved.  If this means buying itself out of contracts then so be it.