E-Petition: Surgeries use of expensive 0844 Numbers

It has come to my attention that some telephone equipment and 'service' providers (one of which is Essex-based) continue to attempt to persuade GPs' surgeries to change from the use of 01 and 02 geographic telephone numbers to non-geographic 0844 numbers.

Apparently, the sales technique is to offer the practice incentives of a 'free' switchboard and associated equipment and a proportion of the excessive 5p per minute call charges which result when non-geographical 0844 numbers replace existing 01 or 02 geographic numbers.

Of course, common sense tells us that no business would offer free equipment unless they were certain of making their money - and more - back so the question has to be asked, how are they going to do that? Simple, your patients are going to pay! All your patients are going to pay - from the wealthy to the poor - are going to pay. Every time they call the surgery, they are going to pay.

Apart from the fact that such systems require patients to remember an eleven-digit number as opposed to a much shorter local number, 0844 numbers are 'revenue-sharing' and generate an income for the surgery and/or the telephone service provider and result in call-queuing - at the expense of patients!

The firms attempt to justify the unnecessary queuing which results when these systems are installed by saying that it is more efficient because callers never receive the engaged tone! They cannot, of course, explain how patients entering an electronic wilderness to wait, whilst paying 5p per minute to do so, is more efficient than, as he/she would do now, him or her pressing the last number redial button to try again. When only one or two people are available answer calls anyway, such systems really just make patients pay yet another stealth tax for the dubious privilege of listening to ‘press this’, ‘press that’ menu options and/or ‘musak’ whilst waiting. What they really mean, of course, that the systems are more efficient at extracting extra money from patients!

Equally worryingly, it is not possible to make calls to UK 08xx numbers from most overseas counties and, therefore, a patient or hospital overseas would not be able to contact the surgery for information in case of emergency.

Many people have 'inclusive' telephone call packages these days whereby all calls to UK 01 or 02 numbers are, in effect, free at all times. At 5p per minute and with queuing times artificially lengthened, calls to 0844 numbers from patients attempting just to make an appointment or enquire about a test result, now regularly cost in excess of 50p.

Of course, the introduction of these numbers additionally penalises the poor and elderly and others who do not have access to a home phone. Calls to 0844 numbers from telephone boxes cost a minimum of 40p and are charged at 14p per minute and mobile phones companies charge up to 40p per minute - not the 'headline' price of 5p (which, in itself, is 54% per minute more than someone on the basic BT package would pay for a call to an 01 or 02 number).

You will probably be aware that a petition against the use of these numbers by GPs’ surgeries has been started on the Downing Street website and has already attracted a considerable number of signatures.

I trust the surgery has not been and will not be duped by what I regard as reprehensible sales techniques and that, for many years to come, we in this village and the surrounding area may continue to make use of the excellent services provided by the doctors and staff at the surgery via 01xxx XXXXXX.

Thank you for your comments received via our website regarding surgery telephone systems.

When we moved premises in July 2005, the practice purchased a new telephone system which I have to say we are very pleased with. It does have the ability to 'queue' patients but as yet we have not utilised this facility. I cannot say however that we will never use this part of the system, because we do have patients who tell us that they would prefer to queue rather than dial again, but I feel that the real emphasis of your comments is about the premium rate telephone numbers that some practices have employed.

As I am sure you can imagine, I get lots of sales calls from companies, who would love us to implement one of these 0844 numbers but I do not feel that this is the right way to go for either the Practice or our patients and therefore am very happy to stick to the existing arrangements. Again I cannot categorically state that this will never happen as one cannot predict the future, i.e. Government legislation, if I am still the Practice Manager etc, but certainly at this moment in time, I have no intention whatsoever of changing the practice telephone number to a premium rate line.

I trust that this allays your fears and thank you once again for your comments.

Yours sincerely

Practice Manager