http://www.forres-gazette.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/1571/Number_quandary_at_Health_centre.html<<
NHS GRAMPIAN have refuted claims that changing the 0845 telephone number back to a local number would improve the system for users.
This follows criticism by a local businessman who wanted to replace the 0845 337 1120 Forres Health Centre number with an easier to remember local number in order to cut costs for callers, particularly those on a fixed tariff who pay extra for dialling 0845 numbers.
A new telephone system was installed at the health centre earlier this year by Grampian NHS, following well-documented problems with the old system which completely crashed last year, leaving staff with no phones for a 24-hour period on one occasion.
When it was installed, practice manager Theresa Byrne explained the practice had no choice as to what system was installed, but had been assured that it was the best option as recommended by the communications experts, and was already in use in other health centres across Scotland. She warned at that point that callers on a fixed tariff might be affected.
Since then, reaction has been mixed on the new number and automated system. At the moment those dialling the 0845 number have to make selections according to what service they require.
If they choose to hold for an appointment with a maximum number of callers able to hold at one moment they are charged for holding, and if they cannot get through, they have to call back each time incurring the expense of making the call, where previously they would have received the engaged tone.
The system is currently configured to allow four calls to be answered with a maximum of three people waiting to be answered in the queue. So during busy times, this can cause problems.
The phone system is something that has been raised and discussed both at Forres Community Council and also at the Forres Local Neighbourhood Forum by the vice-chairman of both organisations, Bob Hellyer, who said the phone system number could be changed to a local number which would cost less and be easier for people to remember.
"Each 0845 number has to be associated with a geographic number, ie an 01309 or 01224 number, which is the number we want," he said, after contacting Opal Telecom, who are the service providers of the health centre's 0845 number.
"I am not arguing to go back to the old system," he said, "but this would not negate the advantages of the press 1, press 2 system, and would ensure that all those on an all-inclusive telephone tariff would pay no more."
He added: "The additional cost to these people is the basic issue, judging by the complaints that we have received.
"Personally, I would rather go back to an engaged tone, which costs me nothing."
He said the current system did incur an additional cost for all users compared with the old system, regardless of their telephone providers, whereas if you could not get through with the old system then it cost you nothing.
"Currently, as soon as you are connected via the 0845 system you are paying for the call until you are finally connected to a person or not, as the case may be," he said.
In reply to questions raised about the system by the neighbourhood forum, a health service telecommunications spokesman wrote to Mr Hellyer.
He explained that the network-based system offered callers a choice of options in order to route their call accurately and efficiently.
He said the cost of using the NHS 0845 number was 3.36 pence per minute with no set-up fee and calls charged on a per second basis, whereas a call on a standard BT residential line to an 0845 number would have a call set-up fee of 2.55p and be charged at 3.36p per minute rounded up to the next whole minute.
He added that the low cost-service was seen as advantageous to the vast majority of patients calling their health centre.
"The deployment of this particular system allows NHS Grampian to be confident that all calls can be routed and handled accurately and efficiently," he said, "regardless of the type, age or capability of telephone systems at our many sites throughout the NHS Grampian estate."
He said that NHS Grampian would not give out local target numbers but would continue to ask patients to utilise the 0845 service.
"To be clear, our 0845 number does not simply route to a single number but each option routes, potentially, to a different number," he said, adding that the 0845 number could also re-route calls in emergency or disaster recovery situation.
"NHS Grampian has full control over where each option is presented, and this allows us to change the target number, answer location and even insert time of day restrictions in order to address any given situation," he concluded.
"If NHS Grampian were to give out the local target numbers for our service, we would not be able to ensure that all callers were re-routed in the case of emergency or disaster recovery.
"This would be an unacceptable situation as we need to be confident that we handle all calls regardless of our answer location."
He claimed that the service NHS Grampian provides could be compromised if they released the geographic telephone numbers associated with the 0845 service.
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