Hi new here,so hope I've not made any mistakes with this post. My doctors surgery is an 0844 number (0844 4773325) I have been trying to find a geographical alternative for a while with no joy. Ive contacted them to complain, but with usual response. I've tried googling, your website and have g a keen eye while in the surgery, but no luck. Except for a secretary's number! Which couldn't use if making an appt. The say no to 0870 just lists the old geog number for the surgery which.is 01782 427000 , this number is dead now. Any ideas? :-)

---

~ Edited by Dave: Thread title amended

A very warm welcome to the forum :)

You have asked us for a number for your doctor's surgery but you do not tell us which surgery it is ::)

How can we find a geographical number when we don't know where it is located? :o

Anyway, if you click on this link, you will find some very useful information that Dave has posted. ;)

http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1136294819/150#152

Sorry, its Kidsgrove Medical Centre, Mount road, Kidsgrove, Stoke on Trent.

Thanks for posting the information ;)

Looking at their web site

http://www.kidsgrovemedicalcentre.co.uk/online_services.htm

It looks as if you are able to make an appointment on line.

Have you thought about going down that route? :-?


Otherwise I think you will have to do what the rest of us do and dial the 0844 number >:(

Thanks for such a quick reply. Yes, I do use the online service which is very good, but have a few medical issues in the family that have to use the phone a lot for. Thanks very much for looking into it for me though :-)

sherbert wrote on Jul 24^th, 2010 at 11:39am:

Thanks for posting the information ;) Otherwise I think you will have to do what the rest of us do and dial the 0844 number >:(

Would you really ring the 0844 number?

If it was me, I'd turn up at the surgery on a pair of crutches, having first notified the press what I was doing, and tell the doctor I'd struggled for an hour to reach the surgery to make an appointment as I couldn't afford their outrageous call charges as I'm only on a state pension. And I'd make sure that everyone in the surgery queue knew about it too.

I can honestly say that I've NEVER  rung an 0844 number and never will. If I can't get what I'm after without doing so, I'll do without or go somewhere where I don't have to ring 0844.

But fortunately, my medical centre doesn't use 0844, and has said publicly that there is no way they ever will.

saffy wrote on Jul 24^th, 2010 at 9:48am:

… I've tried googling, your website and have g a keen eye while in the surgery, but no luck. Except for a secretary's number! Which couldn't use if making an appt. …

What is this number as it may yield the vital clue to finding the proper main number?



saffy wrote on Jul 24^th, 2010 at 9:48am:

The say no to 0870 just lists the old geog number for the surgery which.is 01782 427000 , this number is dead now. Any ideas? :-)

I looked at this one, maybe a year or more ago and left this entry as unverified because the 427000 number didn't yield the same recording as is on the 0844 number. It still remains unverified.

I have just called it and it rings unanswered (it is Saturday today). Perhaps you dialled a different number.

See this thread on Kidsgrove.info. The posting made in 2005 gave the telephone number as 01782 784221 which is now not recognised. Am I to assume that this was the old published main number before they switched to the rip-off one?


The database entry also gives 0870 112 7651 which still works and goes through to the recording that the 0844 number does. The premium on 0870 numbers was removed last August, although unfortunately most telephone call providers have chosen to continue charging higher rates even though they no longer have to pass on the premium. However, if you are with BT, Talk Talk or Plusnet then the cost of calling 0870 is the same as calling 01, 02 and 03 numbers. Which provider are you with and which tariff are you on?

---

Some background information:

Kidsgrove Medical Centre
Mount Road
Kidsgrove
Stoke-on-Trent
ST7 4AY

Tel: 0844 477 3325
Website: [url=www.kidsgrovemedicalcentre.co.uk[/url]]www.kidsgrovemedicalcentre.co.uk[/url]

It is also worth being aware that, according to the NHS website, Kidsgrove Medical Centre is home to another practice: Dr J Holland and Partners, telephone 01782 777991 and fax 01782 788244.

---

I found this page on BMJ Careers:
http://careers.bmj.com/careers/view-job.html?id=20037198

It is a job advertisement and the practice manager Patricia Russell has posted her number, 01782 780047, and e-mail address, patricia.russell@northstaffs.nhs.uk.

780040 to 780059 are in service; either side they are not recognised. Strangley, they all ring unanswered except for two; none are answered by a voicemail system. 52 requests an access code and 59 answers with a beep.

Hi, thanks for all the information, you have been busy:) The secretary's number I managed to get is 01782 780045. Sorry I confused things a little by saying the 01782 427000 is a dead number, I was getting confused with the 01782 784221 number which was the original telephone number before the 0844 rip off number ::) this is a dead number. The 01782 427000 number is an active number, but is for another part of the surgery 'Combined Health' which is totally separate to the doctors surgery.

The number 01782 780047 you managed to find (great research finding a job advert for the surgery ;) ) is for Pat Russell as you say, she is the manager there, nice find I have been phoning her through the 0844 number for a while, so thanks for that. The secretary's number and the number you found for Pat Russell are very similar, I can see how you start to work out numbers.

I am with BT and just get free weekend calls, so 0870 and 0845 included in that but of course not 0844. I no its not the best tariff, but thinking of moving soon so at least I'm not locked into them, which I would be if changed to any other tariff at the moment.

The surgery holds two partnerships, Dr.Holland is totally separate from my Doctors surgery, weird that they have retained their geographical number and my docs havent!

So am I right in thinking if I ring 0870 rather than 0844 from a Bt landline that it will be cheaper? Do you know the two rates by any chance, don't go to any trouble I can always dig around on Bt site if not. I think 0844 5p a minute? The pain is that 0844 never included in any free minutes on mobiles etc.

Thank you so much for all your speedy research, very much appreciated :)

saffy wrote on Jul 24^th, 2010 at 10:09pm:

Hi, thanks for all the information, you have been busy:) The secretary's number I managed to get is 01782 780045. Sorry I confused things a little by saying the 01782 427000 is a dead number, I was getting confused with the 01782 784221 number which was the original telephone number before the 0844 rip off number ::) this is a dead number. The 01782 427000 number is an active number, but is for another part of the surgery 'Combined Health' which is totally separate to the doctors surgery. The number 01782 780047 you managed to find (great research finding a job advert for the surgery ;) ) is for Pat Russell as you say, she is the manager there, nice find I have been phoning her through the 0844 number for a while, so thanks for that. The secretary's number and the number you found for Pat Russell are very similar, I can see how you start to work out numbers.

For now at least, I've replaced the 427000 number with 780047 and added a note to say that it is for the practice manager. It still remains an unverified entry.



saffy wrote on Jul 24^th, 2010 at 10:09pm:

I am with BT and just get free weekend calls, so 0870 and 0845 included in that but of course not 0844. I no its not the best tariff, but thinking of moving soon so at least I'm not locked into them, which I would be if changed to any other tariff at the moment. […] So am I right in thinking if I ring 0870 rather than 0844 from a Bt landline that it will be cheaper? Do you know the two rates by any chance, don't go to any trouble I can always dig around on Bt site if not. I think 0844 5p a minute? The pain is that 0844 never included in any free minutes on mobiles etc.

In which case, much as it pains me to say it, you will be less worse off calling the 0844 number during the weekday daytime which is between 7am and 7pm Monday to Friday. During the evenings and weekends, ring the 0870 number.

Costs are as follows:

• On all BT tariffs, 0844 g6 numbers, of which this surgery uses, cost 5 pence per minute at all times plus a 9.9 pence call set-up fee, which is set to go up to 10.9 pence at the beginning of October. Calls are billed to the next whole second.
  
• The cost of calling 0870 numbers is the same as ringing those prefixed 01, 02 and 03 with BT on all its tariffs. On the Weekend Inclusive plan that you are on, calls cost 5.9 pence per minute during the daytime, which is to rise to 6.4 pence per minute at the beginning of October. Evening calls cost 1.5 pence per minute. These calls made during the week (daytime and evening) attract the aforementioned call set-up fee and are billed to the next whole minute.

saffy wrote on Jul 24^th, 2010 at 10:09pm:

The surgery holds two partnerships, Dr.Holland is totally separate from my Doctors surgery, weird that they have retained their geographical number and my docs havent!

I think it's safe to say that when the company that sold your surgery its telephone system visited, it also went to see the other surgery. Your surgery chose to go with this system that charges patients whilst the other didn't.

Thanks again for the info. So from what you are saying, the dreaded 0844 numbers are actually cheaper to call than the 01, 02 or 03 numbers? as the cost per minute is more for the latter although the set up fee is the same for both. I suppose the billing upto the second is advantageous too as fairer. I guess if you have the BT anytime plan where all calls are inclusive( 01, 02, 03 and 0870 and 0845) then 0844 the big pain because never included in these plans.

saffy wrote on Jul 25^th, 2010 at 12:24am:

Thanks again for the info. So from what you are saying, the dreaded 0844 numbers are actually cheaper to call than the 01, 02 or 03 numbers? as the cost per minute is more for the latter although the set up fee is the same for both. I suppose the billing upto the second is advantageous too as fairer. …

That is correct.

The reason for this is because:
1. The cost of 0844 numbers are abonormally low from BT lines due to regulation imposed on it.
2. The cost of non-premium calls which are included in packages has been increasing so as to create a shift towards inclusive packages as well as, you might say, take advantage of those who stay on the most basic tariffs.



saffy wrote on Jul 25^th, 2010 at 12:24am:

I guess if you have the BT anytime plan where all calls are inclusive( 01, 02, 03 and 0870 and 0845) then 0844 the big pain because never included in these plans.

That is right. Although of course we would never call for 0844 numbers to be inclusive in their current form.