allegro wrote on Aug 30^th, 2018 at 11:26am:

Other than in this thread, the number 0845 398 0940 is not mentioned anywhere on the internet.and the numbers 0845 398 0940 and 0345 398 0940 both return "the number you have called has not been recognised, please hang up and try again".


The website https://www.clch.nhs.uk/services/post-acute-care-enablement-pace gives the number 0845 389 0940. Calls incur an Access Charge of up to 58p per minute plus the additional Service Charge.

The same 0845 number is mentioned on more than 20 other webpages or documents.
See https://www.google.com/search?num=100&filter=0&q=%220845+389+0940%22

Calling this number returns "calls to this number are charged at local rates from landlines .... ". Calls to 0845 numbers haven't been "local rate" since 2004. The announcement is very misleading.

They certainly do need to change the number, and then place a message on the old 0845 number telling callers to hang up and re-dial that new number. The simplest fix would likely be to move to the exactly matching 0345 number.

Get well soon. The call charge information is heard when the number is called, and is some fourteen years out of date.

Additionally, the ban on the usage of premium rate 084 numbers in the NHS took effect in December 2009, more than eight and a half years ago. The earlier ban on usage of 087 and 09 numbers was in 2005.

allegro wrote on Aug 31^st, 2018 at 6:24am:

Indeed, the change was applied to the GP contracts for 2010/11. They were required to comply no later than 31 March 2011.

The GP Committee of the BMA encouraged a false reading of the terms of the contract, implying that it was not possible to switch to an alternative number under an existing "Surgery Line" arrangement. This was in fact always possible, and we even secured a formal statement from the provider verifying this. Unfortunately the disruption caused by the re-organisation arising from the Health and Social Care Act 2012 impeded enforcement action being taken to ensure compliance.

Happily there are only a tiny number of 084 numbers left in the NHS and the chases down each one it finds.

We are in the course of contacting Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, which operates 0845 389 0940, and The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which advises patients, in the Barnet area leaving the Royal Free and Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals, to call it. All other CLCH and RFL numbers comply - this looks like an oversight.