NGMsGhost wrote on May 2^nd, 2008 at 1:50am:

Sadly not quite so good as it should be - see here.

Members may also like to review the following web sites, every one of them directly connected with the hospital trust:

1. NHS Choices search
2. The NHS Choose and Book website
3. The NHS networks list of acute trusts (shows other cases)
4. Radio North Tees (works on MS IE, not Mozilla)
5. The University of Teesside

(Ms Fletcher has been briefed)

http://www.harlowherald.co.uk/content/hlwherald/news/story.aspx?brand=HLHOnline&...

Anger over 0844 surgery numbers

17:09 - 07 May 2008

<<
DOCTORS' surgeries have been accused of making money out of patients by using 0844 telephone numbers which are not classed as local calls.

Kay Westgate, 68, of Mallows Green, Harlow, contacted the Herald to complain that she has always had free local calls to 01279 numbers.

But since her surgery, the Barbara Castle Health Centre in Broadley Road, changed its number to a 0844 code, she is now being charged.

The previous landline number allowed patients to talk directly to a receptionist at the surgery, whereas the new service offers access to the correct department through a series of menu options.

Mrs Westgate described the changeover as "underhand" and feared that elderly people would be the worst hit when they realised they were paying more to make a doctor's appointment.

She claims that posters in the surgery advertising the new number describe it as "low cost" but does not specify what the cost is.

"When I asked staff what the poster meant by low cost, they said they didn't know how much it would cost," Mrs Westgate said.

"I pay extra so I get free landline calls. When I got my phone bill the four calls I had made had come to 60p which is more than a local call.

"The authority is not letting people know the cost and I know one other surgery has changed its number."

She added: "It's wrong to make money out of the patients, particularly the elderly.

"I don't know if the patients' group know about this or not, but to my mind they've done it very underhand. They may think it's more efficient, but its costing people money."

However, West Essex Primary Care Trust was keen to point out that patients can speak to their GP about the new cost and that some telephone line providers will discount the charge if they recognise the number as a healthcare centre.

A spokesman for the PCT added: "Calling an 0844 number may be marginally more expensive particularly for callers using discounted tariffs. However, some telephone providers will accept 0844 as a discounted number when it is a known healthcare facility.

"There are benefits to these new telephone systems for patients. The caller will have greater ease of access directly to the services they require such as appointments or repeat prescriptions. West Essex PCT encourages all GP practices to discuss changes to telephone systems with patients in advance and to work to minimise the impact on patients."

What do you think? E-mail heraldnews@archant.co.uk
>>

idb wrote on May 7^th, 2008 at 6:23pm:

Members may be interested to know that the following providers have confirmed that they would of course offer no such special arrangement:


Others may wish to confirm this with their providers.

I fear that the quoted statement falls well in line with the subject of this thread.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/05/09/fury-as-gp-surgeries-profit-from-phone-...

Fury as GP surgeries profit from phone calls

<<
A handful of GP surgeries in South Staffordshire are continuing to make money by using premium rate phone numbers, it has emerged.

The numbers, which start with 0844 and cost 5p a minute, work by charging a premium rate to patients and part of the excess cost that a patient pays is paid to the surgeries by the telephone companies.

This has sparked criticism from patients’ groups and even the Department of Health, which in December 2006 said patients should not be “exploited” by the practice.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson has also spoken against the use of premium rate numbers in Parliament, telling MPs that patients should not have to pay more than a local rate call. He added that the use of 0844 numbers could amount to a breach of the GP contract.

While most practices now use local rate numbers, a small number are still using the 0844 numbers, including six in South Staffordshire.

They are Salters Meadow Health Centre, Chase Terrace; Barton-Under-Needwood Health Centre in Barton; Dr I M Turner & Partners in Coven; Dr I M Turner & Partners in Brewood, and The Aldergate Practice and The Hollies Medical Practice, both in Tamworth.
>>

http://www.harlowherald.co.uk/content/hlwherald/news/story.aspx?brand=HLHOnline&...

No call discounts for patients

07:33 - 15 May 2008

<<
TELECOM companies will not discount patients who ring doctors' surgeries with new 0844 codes.

Last week the Herald reported that the Barbara Castle Health Centre, in Broadley Road, had recently changed its phone number from an 01279 local code to an 0844 number.

This means patients who received free calls to 01 and 02 numbers are now charged for ringing the surgery.

A spokesman for West Essex Primary Care Trust responded by saying that some telephone providers will accept 0844 as a discounted number when it is a known healthcare facility.

However, the Herald has been contacted by a number of people who have spoken their telephone providers and have been told that they do not offer this discounted service.

John Smoleskis told the Herald: "I was also told that if I told my telephone line provider, they would add it as a free call.

"This is untrue. I have spoken to Virgin Media (my telephone provider) and BT. Neither provides this service.

"I also asked about the call charges to 0844 numbers. Virgin charges a 5p connection charge then 5p per minute, and for a regular landline call there is no connection charge and it costs 4.3p per minute."

K Garrod, also a Virgin Media user, added that they were also told that there was no discount for 0844 numbers and was then told to write to the Customer Care Team.

Another reader, who did not wish to be named, added: "Perhaps the PCT would like to explain which telephone providers will accept 0844 as a discounted number when it is a known healthcare facility. I bet they can't."

Arthur Bennett, 70, of Red Willow, contacted the Herald to explain that when he tried to complain about the change in number, he couldn't speak to anyone and had to put his complaint in writing.

"I phoned the doctor's to make an appointment and I got an answerphone which you go through and press buttons, then I got music, then I got a recorded message saying 'I'm sorry lines are busy please call back'," Mr Bennett said.

"I walked to the surgery to make the appointment and when I was there the surgery manager was standing there, so I asked to speak to her and the receptionist said 'is it a complaint' to which I said yes, and she said 'you have to put it in writing'."

Liz McGranahan, locality director for Harlow for West Essex PCT, said: "Changes to phone systems are a matter for the practice and decisions are not taken by the PCT.

"We are not aware of any other surgeries that are planning to change their phone numbers to 0844 and encourage all our practices to discuss changes of this nature with their patients in advance and to minimise the impact of such changes on patients."

A spokesman for Network Europe Group, which supplies business phone systems said that service providers do include 0844 numbers in their packages from "time to time" and that "Virgin Mobile have in the past included these".

What do you think? E-mail heraldnews@archant.co.uk
>>

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3941474.ece

Hospitals make money on patient phone calls

David Rose

<<
At least a dozen NHS hospital trusts are using “revenue-sharing” telephone numbers to earn money from patients' calls, The Times has learnt.

Some trusts have switched to numbers with an 0844 or 0845 prefix, which are up to 30p a minute more expensive to call than a standard local number. Hospitals can also receive a rebate on incoming calls by using the numbers, which one trust said was used to help it to meet “savings targets”.

More than 1,500 doctors' surgeries are using the more expensive numbers, despite ministers' declarations that patients should pay no more than the cost of a local call to phone their GPs. Calls to 0844 numbers cost 5p a minute from a landline and 40p from a mobile, although the exact cost varies depending on the tariff or package of the caller.

Doctors have claimed that their rebate of about 2p a minute on every call is used to cover the costs of improved telephone services, but consumer lobbyists say that health services are profiting unfairly from patients' calls.

In an e-mail seen by The Times, John Maddison, finance director of the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, confirmed that the trust had previously received “a modest income” from its 0844 number.

The decision to switch to the number was made “reluctantly” to assist in meeting “savings targets”, he said. The trust, which serves a catchment population of 365,000, switched back to using local geographic numbers in January.

Other hospital trusts still using 0844 numbers for their switchboards, appointment booking and other inquiries include Mid Essex, Mid Yorkshire, Northumbria, and South Tyneside.

At least eight other trusts are using 0845 numbers. NHS Direct, the national health advice line, also uses an 0845 number.
>>

http://www.harlowherald.co.uk/content/hlwherald/postbag/story.aspx?brand=HLHOnli...

- Letters for Harlow, Bishop's Stortford and the surrounding area

No discounts for patients

16:19 - 19 May 2008

<<
SIR - I e-mailed you last week regarding the story about doctor's surgery phone numbers and I wrote to Virgin Media. I received a reply thanking me for my letter and advising me of the following:

"We request you to visit our website for the call charges for the number 0844 and other too (http://allyours.virginmedia.com/pdf/uk_non-geographical_calls_a.pdf).

"We understand that some providers offer discount over some specific number like 0844 and etc.

"However, we are sorry to inform you that currently we do not have such an offer, in future if there are any changes for the call rates for specific numbers, we will get back to you by relevant media."

The grammar was good for a giggle although it doesn't quite beat the letter I had from another top company which apologised for "any incontinence caused"!

Mrs K Garrod, by e-mail
>>

idb wrote on May 30^th, 2008 at 12:12pm:

An interesting piece. One wonders why NEG would be keen to publicly anticipate that the outcome of the evidence gathering exercise will be a decision by the government to reverse its current declared policy, rather than taking effective action to implement it.

If NEG personnel wish to argue that patients should pay towards the provision of NHS services as they use them, then let them say so honestly and openly; their views as citizens are no less valid than those of any others. The benefits of the Surgery Line system could be provided equally effectively using 03xx numbers, and thereby funded properly. I must question why NEG, as a body, is entitled to express an opinion on how the money used to pay for its systems and services is obtained. If it has an interest, this is surely improper.

It is Opal Telecom, a division of Carphone Warehouse, that mostly provides the 0844 numbers used by GPs. I see no good reason why 03xx numbers (perhaps the 0344 equivalents) could not be used. The money presently being improperly obtained from patients would perhaps have to come from somewhere else. If so, I see a number of possible sources and would not wish to express a clear opinion about exactly how this burden should perhaps be divided.

If the DH is correct in saying that its exercise is still continuing, then effort must be focussed on finding a way of getting the GP practices that are currently breaching the principles of the NHS back in line. Once such a path is open to them, there should be no difficulty in adding all revenue sharing ranges to the list of those explicitly prohibited by the terms of the GMS contract.


In the meantime, the Pulse article provides evidence of a potential U-turn by the government. Its present policy, stated in a letter from Mark Britnell and numerous written answers is that “patients should not be expected to pay more than the cost of a call to a local number”. Tolerance of the “g6” 0844 numbers used to fund Surgery Line, would require this to be reversed. We also have the reported quote from Alan Johnson – “I’ll end GP call charges”.

I hope that others will join me in attempting to draw this Pulse article, and the threat of a U-turn that is implied, to the attention of all those concerned about this matter. If it is widely known in advance that the government is planning a U-turn, by reversing rather than implementing its present policy, then this may make such a move more difficult to achieve.