Doctors Surgeries told to stop using 0844 Numbers.

hollydays

Exactly right. I raised this once before. I was in the position once of needing an appointment quickly,but had to wait till 4pm that day,(I couldn't breathe well by that point)yet when I needed a non-urgent appointment I got given a 9.30 appointment( no doubt stopping other people who needed a more urgent appointment getting in in the morning slot!!AARGH!
Anyway this system has now changed at our doctor-the triage doc rings you up personally if you want an appointment in the next 48 hours,thank goodness they changed that!

moonrakerz

Jammy1 wrote: »

One of the highlighted quotes in that link says
Yet again "local" is being used instead of "lo-call" for an 0844 number! This is misleading as the two are charged differently!
.

According to the press report the charge should have been 5p per min, the BT national rate is 4p per min (daytime) so to call this 0844 number a "lo-call" rate is either misleading or lying - take your pick !

JohalaReewi

moonrakerz wrote: »

According to the press report the charge should have been 5p per min, the BT national rate is 4p per min (daytime) so to call this 0844 number a "lo-call" rate is either misleading or lying - take your pick !

Gordon Brown has said:

...the message from the Department of Health has made it very clear to NHS organisations that patients should not be expected to pay more than the equivalent of a local call to contact their GPs.

Source...
http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page15215.asp

So charging 5p a minute for 0844 against 4p minute for normal 'local' call is obviously not on according to Gordon.

patchwork_cat

This wish to bring in revenue shows an uncaring attitude. More and more I see it with my current practice. They are too revenue aware and not concerned primarily with the welfare of the patient. I could quote chapter and verse on the appointment policy which shows an uncaring attitude, the inability to prescribe the correct medication for my daughter due to the high cost. However this is a phone discussion. It is not on the whole attitude how can they be a caring profession when they have a revenue sharing phone number for patient appointments and are intractable about those appointments so that you frequently have to ring twice.

I am not wanting revenge - I want the reintroduction of the caring GP of old and the abolishen of these numbers for places like this and benefits offices.

In addition - our doctor has got around the problem of saying I want to phone you from abroad by providing an 0870 for that purpose!!!!! I knew they were money grabbing, but they are really strating to take the biscuit.

NonGeographicalMan

patchwork_cat wrote: »

In addition - our doctor has got around the problem of saying I want to phone you from abroad by providing an 0870 for that purpose!!!!! I knew they were money grabbing, but they are really strating to take the biscuit.

Except the DoH previously imposed a blanket ban on the use of 0870 by doctors surgeries, They then allowed the switch to 0844 on the basis that it was a bit less than 0870 per minute in the dayatime even though it was stil more than 01/02 calls.

So you might like to complain to your PCT about the use of 0870 for overseas calls by your doctor when this is in breach of a DoH directive. A member of the SayNoTo0870 is pursuing this with his PCT and has hopeful signs that he may win re 0870. Since 0844 cannot be callled from overseas then perhaps a doctor may yet be forced to disclose their geographic phone number for overeseas calls.

tomstickland

Call me simple minded but why can't they use a regular number which costs me money to call and them nothing?
Why can't then run an appointment diary like anywhere else, and you book an appointment for the future?

derrick

tomstickland wrote: »

Call me simple minded but why can't they use a regular number which costs me money to call and them nothing?

Because that way, they would not be able to take a share of the call,(Revenue Sharing)!

JohalaReewi

It won't be a problem soon because the Gov. is planning to close all the local GP surgeries and replace them with super duper centralised polyclincs. No doubt these will have 0871 numbers or suchlike. Our local surgery has just got wind of this and is organising a petition. Apparently this has been sneaked in under the radar. Check out...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/apr/29/nhs.health http://www.healthdirect.co.uk/2008/05/one-in-five-gps-surgeries-faces-closure.html http://www.healthdirect.co.uk/2008/05/polyclinics-will-hit-most-vulnerable.html

NonGeographicalMan

JohalaReewi wrote: »

It won't be a problem soon because the Gov. is planning to close all the local GP surgeries and replace them with super duper centralised polyclincs. No doubt these will have 0871 numbers or suchlike.

This is only likely to happen in town areas with lots of existing surgeries but not in country villages. I also doubt they will be using 0871. Its much more likely to be 03 given the NHS ban on the use of 084/7 by any new doctors surgery.

patchwork_cat

Ahh yes but re complaing to my PCT - have you tried to do this recently? It is a joke. As in my previous post though it is symbolic of my GP's attitude. I rang up to try to change GP's and there is only 1 other surgery within 5 miles that will cover our area. A surgery 0.75 mile that I go past every day says 'practice boundary is at the top of the hill '. The only other surgery that will cover our area is 5 miles away. Why does one 5 miles away cover us, but one 3/4 mile doesn't? So we are stuck with a doctor that thinks it is morally OK to fleece their patients - and they wonder why I have lost trust in their ability to care for my and my families health!!