It is obviously for representatives of WestBank, the operator of the Virtual Carers Centre, to speak for themselves. I am however led to believe that the decision to adopt a 0845 number may have been based on the following assumptions / facts.
- Carers in Devon will not call a number with a geographic dialling code other than their own. For this reason a non-geographic number was essential for the service. Tenders for provision of 03 numbers were too expensive.
- Carers in Devon with a BT line may be assumed to always make calls using BT.
- Carers in Devon who are least well off are likely to choose to pay more for their telephone calls. (No, that is not a typo.) It is thought that only those who are better off are likely to take advantage of BT's most popular Call Plan - Unlimited Anytime.
- Carers in Devon, or those they care for - from whose home they may be calling, are unlikely to subscribe to BT Basic. (BT Basic is only available to those in receipt of certain DWP benefits - it includes a bundle of "free" UK and International calls, from which calls to 0845 numbers are excluded.)
- Carers in Devon very rarely use mobile phones.
I am in no position to offer a definitive challenge to the veracity of these points.
I understand that the decision to choose a 0845 number (rather than 03) was based on the principle of achieving
the best for the most. It was understood that far more people would benefit from the savings currently available to some BT customers than would incur the premium charges imposed by those providers who are allowed to add an "Access Charge" to the "Service Charge" which WestBank is happy to impose, for these reasons.
For a charitable activity, funded by public money, it is extremely dangerous to apply the "best for the most" principle. If this same principle were applied to its funding, then because there are more taxpayers than carers (and those they care for), all of the money would be returned directly to the taxpayers!
When looking at issues involving provision of publically funded services, one has to take a slightly wider perspective than that which a business can get away with. The whole point of public services which respond to particular needs is that there must be more "losers" than "winners". Measuring the public good requires judgement, not mathematics.
When choosing a non-geographic telephone number, the principle of equity demands that 03 be used in all cases where the only financial relationships required are those between users and their telephone companies. Where a financial relationship between the caller and the called may be entertained, one may consider 080 or 084. If a serious, paid-for, "Premium Rate Service" is being delivered, then there are other options.
When Ofcom comes forward with its proposals to remove the NTS condition from BT and implement the "unbundled" approach, or indeed anything that brings proper transparency to the way that NGCS are funded, there will be a major shock to many users of 0845 numbers.
If however the commercial and funding arrangements can be changed swiftly and there is deemed to be no significant investment in publicising a number, then there is no need to think about 2012 or 2013 when implementing a new number in October 2011.
I cannot be sure that the assessment of carers in Devon presented above is entirely fair, however there is much public ignorance about call charges and issues such as the very low "break-even point" for BT Unlimited Anytime. It is difficult to argue that providers of services by telephone have a duty to correct, rather than go along with, such ignorance - even if by going along with it they are potentially exploiting it, by saving money as a result.
If a carer in Barnstable with the Virgin Media Unlimited package would genuinely rather pay 63p for a 5 minute call to a 0845 number than pay nothing to call an Exeter number, then it may not be easy to make an issue of the fact that 8.5p of that charge goes to reduce the costs of the charity they are calling!
I believe that the charity should however encourage non-BT callers to understand that they are paying premium rates
because a small part of what they pay is helping the charity, by reducing its bills. For the more sophisticated, they could also explain that BT callers get a good deal (incurring no premium or even what looks like a discount) solely because of out-dated legacy regulation that is probably about to be lifted.
I have no essential problem with a charity that imposes modest charges on those it serves, so long as it is prepared to be honest and judged on that basis. Given that the cost actually incurred is largely a premium to the benefit of a third party, and some escape this altogether, this method of funding is however rather tricky to defend.
I would be delighted if someone who understands the particular nature of those who inhabit England's largest (or nearly largest) county, by various measures, could help us gain a proper appreciation of special factors which apply. These would, of course also apply to NHS Devon.
Although this is essentially an issue between a charity and those who use its services, the use of NHS funding gives us all a proper interest - even though I cannot understand how the Virtual Carers Centre falls within the proper scope of the NHS.
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NHS Devon etc Using 0845 for a new helpline. (Read 13,580 times)
