Hi Folks 
This is my first post.  I want to start by saying a great HOORAY for this site - it has already, in the two months I have been using it, saved me an estimated £24 in non-geographical phone charges - banks, insurance companies, financial institutions of all kinds - and now the NHS!!   
And today has given me a perfect reason to post. 
I have been sent by my doctor to get a chest X-ray.   
The phone number on the form is - as you would expect for this miserable scrooge-like government, an 0845 number!! 
I refuse to use 0845 numbers to contact ANY government department - they are supposed to be there for our benefit and we have already paid our taxes and national insurance contributions.  So - WHY should we also get ripped off, especially by the NHS, with inflated premium call numbers. 
It was even more amazing to me when I called the local Hospitals switchboard to be told that they were not allowed to give me a geographical number for this centre. 
I then telephoned NHS direct and they also refused to give me a local 023 number to call. 
Luckily - I do have a few contacts in the local NHS - in this case a porter - whom I contacted and he told me to  please
not tell anyone that he had given me the number as he would be in trouble if anyone found out! 
How disgusting!! 
Anyway - thankfully, he looked up the local insiders numbers list and gave it to me right away. 
I immediately used it to make an appointment - free call through my telephone provider. 
I have already informed the admins of this number and hopefully they will soon have it up on the site. 
But for anyone in the Portsmouth area who needs to call this treatment centre here are the details: 
Number given - 0845 076 5551 
Local geographical number - 023 9285 8425 - and follow the menu. 
This is the first number I have had to find for myself - and I have every intention of making similar contributions to the board as and when. 
Good luck to all involved - and a very big thank you for setting the site up in the first place!! 

This is an interesting case.

I assume we are dealing with St Mary’s NHS Treatment Centre, Milton Road, Portsmouth PO3 6DW. This is run by Care UK for the NHS.


This centre appeared on a list of NHS Bodies I published prior to the Directions to NHS Bodies which prohibited use of 084 numbers - issued three years ago. See the old list

This centre does not appear on the current version of this list, most recently renewed in March this year. See the current list

Although there are many web references to 0845 076 5551, the website for the centre itself shows 0333 200 1822.


Having spoken with someone at the centre (calling 0333 200 1822), I am assured that the parallel running of the (former) 0845 number with the (new) 0333 number is shortly coming to an end. I also understand that some of the units within the centre have direct local 023 numbers, but callers are urged to call the main 0333 number to ensure that they get through. (As the call cost, if any, is the same, there is no reason not to use the 0333 number.)

This situation does make sense, as Care UK has been good at making the switch to 03. I would urge anyone using the centre to confirm the position.

There is clearly a problem with communication of the new number.

I do hope that there is not a further problem caused by a possible failure to recognise that a 03 number is just as valuable as a local geographic number.

allegro wrote on Dec 22^nd, 2012 at 2:01pm:

This is uncertainty and suspicion that 03 is a rip-off is caused by the fact that so-called "local" numbers have turned out to be premium ones.

The more 03 numbers are put into use, the more people will recognise them as the "clean" non-geographic number range.

The SayNoTo0870 database lists 03 numbers in the same column as 01/02 numbers because they are charged the same.