HOSPEDIA bedside premium rate 0872 numbers in hospitals.
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Ian011
Posts: 2,432 Forumite
For many years, HOSPEDIA bedside telephones used telephone numbers starting 070. While these looked like mobile numbers, they were not. Numbers starting 070 are Personal Numbers. Since their introduction in 1996, these have generally cost a lot more to call than calling a UK mobile number and have been excluded from call allowances.
HOSPEDIA directly owned their 070 number ranges and were able to earn around 39p to 49p per minute from these calls, with callers paying substantially more than that.
On 1 October 2019, OFCOM changed the rules for 070 numbers, setting a cap on the "termination rate" (aka "wholesale rate") for calling these numbers. This is the per-minute fee that telecoms providers charge each other for carrying calls that originated with a different provider. The cap is now set at the same rate as for calling a UK mobile number, and is just under 0.5p per minute.
As a result of this change, OFCOM expected landline and mobile providers to start including calls to 070 numbers in allowances on the same basis as calls to UK mobile numbers, or otherwise charge calls to 070 numbers at the same rate as calling a UK mobile number.
A number of retail telecoms providers, including plusnet, giffgaff and others did this, but HOSPEDIA took this as an opportunity to end their usage of 070 numbers and swap to 0872 numbers with a Service Charge of 13p per minute. New numbers already in use start with prefixes between 0872 800 and 0872 849.
Charges for calls to numbers starting 084, 087, 09 or 118 consist of an Access Charge and a Service Charge. The Access Charge is typically around 10p to 20p per minute on calls made from landlines or 44p to 65p per minute on calls made from mobile phones. There are a small number of providers with lower charges.
Callers who had been looking forward to no longer paying extortionate rates to call hospital bedside telephones are now having to pay up to 78p per minute for these calls. The new 0872 numbers are Controlled Premium Rate Services regulated by the Phone-paid Services Authority.
The bedside telephone units continue to allow free outgoing calls to landline and mobile numbers, but incoming calls to the bedside 0872 number are charged to the caller at extortionate rates.
Since December 2009 there has been a ban on usage of premium rate 084, 087 or 09 numbers in the NHS. All GP practices, and almost all pharmacies, dentists and opticians have subsequently got rid of these numbers.
The introduction of premium rate 0872 numbers by Hospedia almost a decade later must raise serious questions.
Access Charge lookup: http://www.sayNOto0870.com/costofcalling.php
Service Charge lookup: http://checkit.uboss.com/
HOSPEDIA directly owned their 070 number ranges and were able to earn around 39p to 49p per minute from these calls, with callers paying substantially more than that.
On 1 October 2019, OFCOM changed the rules for 070 numbers, setting a cap on the "termination rate" (aka "wholesale rate") for calling these numbers. This is the per-minute fee that telecoms providers charge each other for carrying calls that originated with a different provider. The cap is now set at the same rate as for calling a UK mobile number, and is just under 0.5p per minute.
As a result of this change, OFCOM expected landline and mobile providers to start including calls to 070 numbers in allowances on the same basis as calls to UK mobile numbers, or otherwise charge calls to 070 numbers at the same rate as calling a UK mobile number.
A number of retail telecoms providers, including plusnet, giffgaff and others did this, but HOSPEDIA took this as an opportunity to end their usage of 070 numbers and swap to 0872 numbers with a Service Charge of 13p per minute. New numbers already in use start with prefixes between 0872 800 and 0872 849.
Charges for calls to numbers starting 084, 087, 09 or 118 consist of an Access Charge and a Service Charge. The Access Charge is typically around 10p to 20p per minute on calls made from landlines or 44p to 65p per minute on calls made from mobile phones. There are a small number of providers with lower charges.
Callers who had been looking forward to no longer paying extortionate rates to call hospital bedside telephones are now having to pay up to 78p per minute for these calls. The new 0872 numbers are Controlled Premium Rate Services regulated by the Phone-paid Services Authority.
The bedside telephone units continue to allow free outgoing calls to landline and mobile numbers, but incoming calls to the bedside 0872 number are charged to the caller at extortionate rates.
Since December 2009 there has been a ban on usage of premium rate 084, 087 or 09 numbers in the NHS. All GP practices, and almost all pharmacies, dentists and opticians have subsequently got rid of these numbers.
The introduction of premium rate 0872 numbers by Hospedia almost a decade later must raise serious questions.
Access Charge lookup: http://www.sayNOto0870.com/costofcalling.php
Service Charge lookup: http://checkit.uboss.com/
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Comments
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It's not really surprising that they have changed to another premium rate number otherwise they would be making less money. I'm surprised anyone seriously thought they would just let this revenue stream go.
But I can't image people actually call them that much because even if the person in hospital doesn't have a mobile phone I'm sure atleast one relative/friend would have a spare one they could use. A sim card can be bought very easily for £1 and it wouldn't even need topping up to receive incoming calls.0 -
Factor in the money the inpatient is saving on food etc and it probably evens out to be honest.0
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Not sure you're being honest, have you tried the food, and what's the "etc"?ToxicWomble wrote: »Factor in the money the inpatient is saving on food etc and it probably evens out to be honest.0 -
I think he/she has a reasonable point tho.
The food at our place is actually pretty good (yes I have tried it) and regardless if it's good or not, it's still free.
The etc - dunno0 -
No it is not free. The majority of the public have already paid for it out of their contributions.I think he/she has a reasonable point tho.
The food at our place is actually pretty good (yes I have tried it) and regardless if it's good or not, it's still free.
The etc - dunnoThere's a storm coming, Mr Johnson. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.0 -
But the patient doesn’t directly pay to be fed whilst an inpatient.0
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My point being that someone as an inpatient for let’s say a week will not pay for any food and drink during their “stay” whereas if they were at home they would be paying for their food shopping. Therefore they are essentially getting fed for free for a week and thus moaning about a few £ spent on the phone is a bit of a cheek0
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No it's not a cheek. As I stated, the vast majority of patients have spent years putting into the system and have already paid for that food. I'm not saying patients should get free phone calls, but to charge the vastly inflated prices to vulnerable people is wrong imo, the same as charging nurses for using the car park at their place of work. Profiteering at its worst.There's a storm coming, Mr Johnson. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.1
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The extortionate premium rate phone call charges that are the main subject of this thread are those that are paid by the friends and relatives of patients when they call the patient who is staying in hospital. This has nothing to do with payments made by patients, and talk of food cost offsets, etc, in this context is utterly absurd.1
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Let’s try an analogy then:
I book a 2 week All Inclusive holiday (hospital stay)
I have paid for this holiday (into the system)
While on holiday, I am not spending the £60 a week on food that I would be at home, I am not using gas or electricity and I am not using my car to commute so am probably “saving” ~£80 a week.
A relative/friend phones my mobile and subsequently mentions the high cost of phoning me whilst abroad.
No problem - have some of the £80 a week I saved.
That’s my point - hope it’s clearer for you both now.
So the context I would argue is not “utterly absurd” it just needs a bit of lateral thinking
It is also not correct to view “the system” as a piggy bank to make sure you get out what you put in. That’s not how it works. If it did - can I have my last 30years contributions back please cause I havent needed to use any of those services
I doubt most people would put in over a 5 year period the amount it costs to look after a ward patient for a week not even factoring in any surgery or scans etc0
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