NHS - no calls to mobiles

Anthillmob

i dont know if this applies to everyones PCT but speaking to the secretary of the consultant who's going to do my op today i offered her my mobile phone number and she informed me that they are no longer permitted to call mobile phones due to cost cutting.

i didnt think to ask if this also was included during an emergency.

as an aside they have my next of kin incase of my death r whatever as my 1 year old daughter!!!!

HugoRune_2

well, look at it this way, if they didnt have the policy they might not be able to afford to do your op

Astaroth

I would imagine that it is for non-emergency calls but then you get into the old debates over what is an emergency as it is a very subjective term

missile

What a piece of horse s...t. My GP has no problem calling my mobile for routine matters

Voyager2002

Calls to mobiles are far more expensive than calls to landlines. Personally I object to people who expect me to call their mobile numbers, since it is very rarely sufficiently important for me to contact them that I am willing to pay the extra money. And I must say, I think the NHS has better things to do with its money than hand it over to telephone companies.

Anyway, I hope the operation will go well for you.

isualive

Anthillmob wrote:

i dont know if this applies to everyones PCT but speaking to the secretary of the consultant who's going to do my op today i offered her my mobile phone number and she informed me that they are no longer permitted to call mobile phones due to cost cutting.

i didnt think to ask if this also was included during an emergency.

as an aside they have my next of kin incase of my death r whatever as my 1 year old daughter!!!!

I had an operation yesterday and there was no problem with ringing mobiles. I was even allowed to ring my DH's mobile for him to come and take me home. The staff on the ward were letting everyone ring out whenever they wanted. They showed no concern when patients asked if they could ring a mobile. I also had a mobile number on my next of kin form. Hope you are recovering from your op ok.:D

ilovemycats

Erm hang on. Don't the employees of the mobile phone companies use the NHS? I mean, someone breaks their leg on the stairs in the Vodafone HQ. Who do they call? It'll be 999 won't it..........

Shouldn't the NHS be getting cut price calls.............

Bossyboots

I was in hospital on Wednesday and when I asked to ring home to get someone to pick me up I was asked if it was a landline. The lady who wanted to ring a mobile was refused at first and then the nurse had a change of heart but the patient had left the ward (unnoticed, we were supposed to be collected) to use her mobile.

When I had my pre-op assessment I heard the admin staff calling the operator to ask them to get them a mobile number and they had to state who it was that they were calling.

That said, when I was first booked in I was told to give my mobile so I could take a cancellation at short notice if one turned up.

tanith

I really don't see what the problem is they are after all trying to save money for the NHS which we all have to pay for..... we did manage quite well before mobile phones took over the world.....:rotfl:

WHA

Wherever possible, in my business, we don't call mobile numbers either. Our business phone bill ran into hundreds of pounds each bill, until we analysed the call charges - well over 90% was to mobiles. Now, the calls cost less than £10 each time - the difference is amazing. We now have a standing instruction to call a mobile only if the landline is not answered AND the matter is urgent and can't wait (which is hardly ever!). As the NHS is so strapped for cash, this appears to be a very sensible way of saving A LOT of money as long as the rules are flexible enough to allow some leniency when necessary (which I somehow doubt with the gross lack of common sense inherent in the NHS).

Anthillmob

sorry for confusion if any i havent had my op yet. am on the waiting list.

anyways what im getting at is, if tey are not allowed to call a mobile yet in an emergency cant get your next of kin on their landline/s then what the hell are they meant to do? send out a carrier pigeon?

if theyre anything like our work they will have already banned calls to mobiles from phones to save money. my employers did this to a certain team who thought they could spend all day on the phone to their mates mobiles.