I can see your point and of course it is entirely up to you weather you act or not

But I believe that we have to keep going until we get the desired result

Dan Jarvis MP is a different person in a different time he may be a load of rubbish but we won't know until we try

I started a project 4 years ago, everybody said it would never work "118FREE" I am now at provisional launch stage having carried out the relevant tests.

The pilot starts in Barnsley in June; the moral is keep going if you can if one door shuts kick down another
It is not my intention to upset anybody I just have self belief, keep going until you can't go any more or until all avenues have been exhausted

Re my last post - Could it be that the PCTs are failing to crack down because with the current reorganisation of the health service, with PCTs likely to be wound up and their roles transferred to GP consortiums, it is not in the interest of PCT employees to enforce the rules when they will be looking to apply for positions with the same GPs or potential unemployment.

Have I missed something?

Is the point of the GP's contract being revised that the call should cost NO more then a geographic call? Did I get that part right?

If so I have proven calls to 0844 numbers DO cost more then a geographic call, and therefore their are in breach of said contract. PCT's have to Act as does our current government.

Imagine if we ALL qeued unwell at our local Dr's to make an appointment as we refused to pay such rates to call in!

It's a small consolation.

If the Government is allowed to sweep through reforms, and the PCT's have little or no power we will be in a much worser situation than we are in now.

In the current economic climate why should we be expected to pay such costs to call the NHS?? As far as it has been stated it should be "free at point of use"

Well if I call to have a telephone consultation, and I am given one, I have PAID for the information which goes against this ethos!

I am not going to sit here and let them win, I will do what I can to complain, starting with the DoH Ministers and our Prime and Deputy Prime Minsters!

In today's Wokingham Times :----

Premium rate numbers to call the doctor

http://www.getwokingham.co.uk/news/s/2093141_premium_rate_numbers_to_call_the_do...

Patients calling some Wokingham GP surgeries are being forced to dial premium-rate phone numbers to book an appointment. .......
Campaigners have been battling against the use of premium-rate numbers by GPs since 2009, saying they are unfair to patients .......
National phone charges campaigner David Hickson identified six surgeries in West Berkshire which were using 0844 or 0845 numbers including Cedar House Surgery in Finchampstead, Chalfont Close, Earley, and Brookside Close, Earley. .........
A member of the NAG, who asked not to be named in case it affected his treatment at the surgery, said: “There was an elderly lady that I know who was recently complaining to me that she had tried to make an appointment for her husband who has Parkinson’s and it had cost her £7 just to make an appointment.” ........
“NHS Berkshire West has been corresponding with practices regarding this issue to ensure that people are not paying more than they have to.”

Some comments published below this article :----


  Try http://www.saynoto0870.com/numbersearch.php
Clive Counsell
24/05/2011 at 19:44 Offensive or Inappropriate?

   My wife is severely disabled and housebound. She has a many health issues and phones the surgery quite often. As she is housebound we have bought an extra package from the telephone provider so that we have 24 hours national and local calls free so that she can call at any-time of the day without too much fear of having a large telephone bill but ... 084x numbers are not free.

When we get the phone bill, the largest call cost is due calls to the surgery!
Gary, Wokingham
24/05/2011 at 13:11 Offensive or Inappropriate?


   In the main GPs surgeries are used by people local to the area, this being the case surgeries should by law be required to provide a local telephone number for patients to phone. Many telephone companies are including the price of local land line calls in their connection charges effectivelly giving subscibers free phone calls. In all honesty do doctors need to rely on extorting money from patients to run their business?
William Richards
24/05/2011 at 13:06 Offensive or Inappropriate?


   Many GP's have turned into a greedy bunch of money grabbers. It used to be a vocation - now they are little better than bankers!
4-4-2 and you win
24/05/2011 at 12:49 Offensive or Inappropriate?

   A very poor response bty the PCT which says it "has been corresponding with practices" instead of ensuring that patients are not overcharged for their phone calls to NHS GPs. When is the PCT actually going to do something about this outrageous GP behaviour. There is absolutely no doubt that 0844 calls cost more than normal geographic calls and yet the PCT fails to take action.

As for the behaviour of these GPs it is unethical and untruthful to pretend that they are not causing extra costs to patients. Where are their morals and principles? Is this an example of the principleas they will apply when the Government hands over control to GPs opf 80% of the NHS expenditure? God help the NHS and all patients once the GPs are given such responsibility.
George Kelly

I am afraid this is just par for the course in terms of the contractor system.  Ever since a previous Government, many years ago, introduced the system of "contracting out" services, this has been a problem.  If you complain to anyone who contracts out services, be it your local council or a hospital eg for cleaning services, about the service delivery, all you are likely to be told is that "it will be brought to the contractors' attention" or "the breach isn't big enough to terminate the contract" - and let's face it, termination of the contract would be the only sanction.  And what would happen even if PCTs did terminate contracts, areas could be left without GP cover (I know that GPs might comply when issued the threat but if they all stood out against it and called the bluff of PCTs what then?)  This is like far too much in this country, rules exist about things which are supposed to protect the consumer/user/employee but NO ONE is willing/able to enforce the regulations.  Unless & until a Government sets up regulatory bodies which truly independent and are REQUIRED to enforce the rules and given real teeth to do so, I fear nothing will change, the only hope is to shame some of these bodies and I suspect they have very little capacity for shame unless hit in their pockets.  For example, off message but pertinent, I recently wanted to complain to BT but via email so I had a copy, no email address, contacted OFCOM, even they have no email address for BT!!!!   I also have a complaint about Royal Mail but Postwatch who used to take up customer complaints, has been abolished & Royal Mail now police themselves - or not as the case may be!

hi

the following link gives you the details to contact your MP, I use in on a regular basis

http://www.writetothem.com/

Dan Jarvis Barnsley Central MP is assisting me with this campaign