0700 NHS Patient Line Phone numbers

Magic_Moments

Does anyone know what the cost is of calls to 0700 NHS Patient line numbers. Is it the same from BT, Virgin Landlines and Skype. Is it cheaper to phone after 7 0'clock in the evening. I believe the charge is ridiculously high. Is there an alternative to an 0700 number I have tried Say No to 0870 but no luck. Help i have a relative in hospital and the cost of speaking to him seems exorbitant.

diamonds

I'd be reporting that to Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt.


Jeremy previous position was the the boss of the Communications Minister as Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport.


That dept and Ministers/MP's part funds our useless telecom regulator Ofcom, think the !!!! could link his three major public service roles experience together and see inequalities ?

I mean he was the Shadow Disablity Minister once....& he lets 07000 usage happen in the NHS after being head of Telecoms and now the NHS, lol just LOL !

Hopeless UK MP's as ever ! Whats right in front of him he cant see, woods and trees...woods & trees....

[EMAIL="%20huntj@parliament.uk"]huntj@parliament.uk[/EMAIL]

wantmemoney

Magic_Moments wrote:

Is there an alternative to an 0700 number

yes, your relative's mobile phone number.........

and how much do you have to pay for 'visitor' car park charges

the blood sucking !!!!!!!s

people should start getting some balls and start refusing these rip offs.

niftyone

http://www.avforums.com/forums/general-chat/1697429-cost-0700-phone-numbers-nhs-patients-line.html

sergeant121

ISTR that, some years ago, Ofcom was going to shift all 070 numbers to the unused 06 range to eliminate confusion with mobile phone numbers.

No surprise really that business interests instead of those of the citizen consumer took precidence and the idea was shelved.

Buzby

OFCOM wouldn't do this - it was they who came up with the idea that 'personal number ranges' would be on 070, and in fact THEY were the first users of the 07 numbering space. Mobile phones didn't join them for a year.

Since this issue is one of tariff, not technical - only the 09 number range provides the relevant warning of higher costs of calling, but whether they'll do it is anyone's guess.

Stompa

The cost of these calls is indeed exorbitant. But it's also extremely irritating that for each call you are forced to listen to around 90 seconds of recorded preamble, which seems to be unnecessarily verbose and spoken deliberately slowly. At the very least you should be given the option of skipping this message.

thefirs

If you or a friend or relative have a spare mobile, have that taken into the patient at the next visiting time. The NHS are normally now quite happy to have patients use mobiles provided other patients aren't disturbed.

Probably cheaper even to buy a budget phone with a fiver credit than to make calls to these usurous rate lines.

poppasmurf_bewdley

When my late mother was in Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport, they had these expensive phones at every bed, but the staff were quite happy for people to call the ward telephone when we wanted to speak to her as they were all against these sky high telephone costs. Have you asked if the ward staff will do the same for your relative?

The other alternative is to provide your relative with a cheap mobile phone and ring them on that.