Yes. These were explicitly prohibited in 2005, when clause 29A was added to the GMS contract (which covers most GPs) and identical clauses were added to the other forms of contract used.

The provisions, along with clause 29B, which was added in 2010 to effectively prohibit use of all 084 numbers, under the tariff conditions which currently pertain, can be seen starting on this page of the standard contract:

http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/di...

(the standard contract applies in all cases - schedules are added to cover the specific services in each particular case)

kasg wrote on Jun 15^th, 2012 at 11:17am:

This is true. Also, since revenue sharing was removed from 0870 numbers in August 2009, all of the excess charges which callers are paying are going to their telephone companies - not to the practice. If the practice needs an additional non-geographic number , it should be able to migrate to the 0370 equivalent without incurring any additional cost.

It must of course migrate the 0844 number also, as failure to do so is in breach of its contract.

The change in the regulation of 0870, and anticipated similar changes to 0845, are valid reasons for the Department of Health avoiding any reference to specific number ranges in the 2010 revisions.

(In fact it is now likely that revenue sharing will return to 0870 and will never be removed from 0845, as Ofcom has now decided that 03 will be the only non-geographic range to be charged at geographic rates.)