A wonderful example of exploitation:

http://www.networkeuropegroup.com/downloads/surgeryline-dartford.pdf#search=%22n...

includes:

What is Surgery Line?
“Surgery Line is a cost-effective way for forward looking surgeries to improve the service that they offer to patients, reduce stress levels for staff and self-fund a state of the art phone system,” explains NEG’s CEO, Richard Chapman. “As you can see, this case study focuses on one of the hundreds of surgeries that have already switched to Surgery Line. By doing so, they have saved money, improved the service that they offer patients and relieved the pressure on busy staff.”

You and your staff benefit When a surgery switches to an 084 number, NEG will install and maintain the most efficient communications system on the market. You specify exactly what equipment you want to receive (from handsets to switchboards) for no extra charge. With your own 084 number, you keep about 2p from every call to re-invest in your practice, instead of BT making all the profit from calls to your surgery.

How your patients benefit Patients benefit by having their calls answered more quickly. The engaged tone becomes rare – even at peak times - because you are able to handle incoming calls more efficiently, whilst patient calls are spread out during the day. Calls to 084 or ‘lo-call’ numbers cost patients 4p per minute, the same as the first minute of BT’s standard call rate between 6am and 6pm. This means that many patients will actually pay less in total because their call is answered and processed more quickly. Significantly, the cost of calls from mobiles remains unchanged - these account for around 30% of all calls to surgeries.

The phone system that won’t test your patients “I’ve met a number of practice managers who think that Surgery Line sounds almost too good to be true,” says Chapman, “but after it’s been installed, they realise that NEG delivers everything we promise, and more.”

And from This is Wiltshire (ironically at 8:44am today!):

http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/display.var.954403.0.gps_install_hitech_hotline...

<<
ENGAGED telephone lines at GP surgeries are a common problem up and down the country.

However, a practice in Wilton is tackling the issue by installing a new phone system, designed to all but eliminate the engaged tone.

This will provide an improved method for patients trying to get in touch with the particular service that they require at the Wilton health centre.

The new service came online last Wednesday, and now the main telephone number is 0844 477 3483.

The new system reduces call congestion by introducing extra phone lines and elements of call automation.

The health centre currently has more than 3,500 residents on its register, which, because of the volume of calls, can make it difficult to get through on the first attempt.

"At busy times, we receive more calls than our current switchboard can handle," said practice manager Pauline Mairs.

"We decided to address the problem by installing a new system, known as Surgery Line, which will manage calls more efficiently by routing a patient directly to the service they need."

The hi-tech service includes a new switchboard, headsets, a call-recording facility and extra safety features.

Designed specifically to meet the requirements of doctors' surgeries, the Surgery Line phone system has proved popular with both doctors and patients across the country.

"We believe that Surgery Line will considerably improve the service that we are able to offer our patients," said Ms Mairs.

"Calls will be answered every time, and patients should find it much quicker to make contact with the person they wish to speak to."

To facilitate the changeover, those calling the old telephone number will hear a recording, with details of the new number they need to call.

This redirection message will be kept on the old line for as long as it is needed.

The new number will be charged at local rates.>>


How much longer will the wretched 'local rate' description prevail?

Pauline Mairs - yet another clueless individual hoodwinked by the sharp-suited slimy NEG salesman.

OF COURSE THERE WILL BE NO ENGAGED TONES - that is the whole point of this scam, Ms Mairs. Queueing earns revenue for NEG. 'Nuff said.

Ms Mairs - just consider a patient trying to contact you from overseas - either for an emergency situation or for scheduling/altering an appointment. The patient will not be able to get through as your idiotic surgery has been scammed by NEG. Where was your due diligence Ms Mairs?

YOU NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS DECISION, Ms Mairs.

Some more bull from NEG - this time, from Kath Simons

http://archive.mail-list.com/fpm-forum/msg13565.html

<<
Hi Heather

Whether this will work out to be self funding or not depends on how much
this company will give you back for each 0844 call...we also supply
Patient Partner as one of our 'add-on' modules and we give the practice
2p for each
0844 call - you may want to check this. It then depends on how many
calls you receive. We would be able to give you an indication based on
list size.

0844 numbers are not non-geographic numbers, they're lo-cal numbers, a
non-geo number would be 0870, which as you probably know, are no longer
allowed to be used by surgeries.

0844 numbers are fully sanctioned by the Department of Health and also
Ofcom, and there are no plans to change the ruling.

Patients (and the general public as a whole, i.e. you, me - us!), now
have a free rein to use who they wish for calls from home / landline,
and while some packages do give free calls, most of these are not during
the day and the costs are hidden elsewhere, plus of course it is up to
the individual to negotiate a suitable package with their provider.

Telephone systems, Patient Partner, Jayex wallboards, Automatic Patient
Check-in screens etc can all be a costly outlay for a practice, 0844
numbers are just a way of reducing this cost, either entirely or partly.

Kath Simons
N.E.G Surgery Line
>>

No wonder surgeries are being fooled when these utter lies are being output by NEG representatives.

A disgrace. The DH really needs to get a grip.

I think bbb_uk has more familiarity with the ASA and I will defer to his opinion. It is quite incredible that this company can repeatedly lie and escape any sanction from any authority.

Sadly, it's probably going to take a death or serious problem caused by inability to connect from overseas to get any action by authorities.

idb wrote on Oct 7^th, 2006 at 1:46am:


Writing to MPs on the Parliamentary Select Committee responsible for the NHS and GPs and getting them to ask questions tro the NHS senior directors at their next committee meeting might help prevent the deaths occurring.

As would getting press coverage that you cannot call your doctor from overseas if they have an 0844 number and for anyone in this position going overseas to write to their doctor demanding a geographic alternative.  If the doctor refuses they should go to their MP and get him to refer a complaint to the Ombudsman that Ofcom has failed to prevent 0844 numbers being used by doctors surgeries despite them not being accessible overseas at all and in the UK at the same cost as normal 01/02 numbers.

idb wrote on Oct 7^th, 2006 at 1:46am:
Sorry, just noticed thread.

As mentioned by Orsonkart, ASA have no authority over websites and having read the wording anyhow they state that 084 'lo-call' costs the same as BT standard rate.  Well as BT Standard Rate is no longer available and customers where moved to BT Together Option 1 where calls cost 3ppm then you could ask trading standards to investigate this as they are implying calls to 084 cost the same as a normal BT call which they are 1p more.

Apart from that though, I don't think much else could be done.

That is true you could complain to the surgery but as you said they have a contract for which they probably couldnt get out of.

I believe the best way to complain would be via DoH.

And, as the 0844 477 number used in the case is charged by BT at 5p/minute at all times, the first minute of a call to it now costs 8p (but that's alright, it's only a third more).

So, patients used to paying a total of 3p for a call of any duration to the surgery using 1899 and their previous 01 or 02 geographic number will be entitled to be well p*ssed off when they finish up paying 53p when they get stuck in the wonderful new, efficient system for 10 minutes waiting until one of the (same number of) staff gets round to answering their call, won't they?

"Free at the point of use.................."