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NHS premium & national rate phone lines ban (Read 189,387 times)
kk
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #30 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 11:38am
 
Further info:
The man interviewed at the end of the clip, from the Department of Health, is Dr David Colin-Thome, National Clinical Director for Primary Care.
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idb
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #31 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 12:53pm
 
GP leader responds to ban on higher rate telephone numbers:

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=7964

>>>

Responding to the Department of Health (England) announcement banning the use of higher rate telephone numbers within the NHS, Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the BMA's General Practitioners Committee said:
"The BMA is sympathetic to the view that patients should not be charged over the odds for contacting their family doctor. A relatively small number of GP practices use 0870 numbers, as do some other NHS bodies. Some of the GP practices involved were encouraged to switch to 0870 systems by their primary care organisation. By introducing 0870 telephone systems, practices will have benefited from improved equipment installed with the aim of ensuring patients were able to get through to the practice quickly, deliver their message or request speedily, and in general spend less time on the telephone than with previous systems. We welcome the Government's intention to fund the cost of the change back to lo-call rate systems and this should apply to all affected practices, whatever their telephone system supplier. We look forward to talks with the Department about implementing the new policy in a workable time-frame."

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pelham9
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #32 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 2:21pm
 
The quote in idb's post comes from Dr Hamish Meldrum chairman of the BMA's general practioner committee.

Does anbody know how to contact this guy?

Like the DOH he does not appear to know that all 08xx numbers (except 0800) are a scam and that the lo-call numbers are in some situations worse than 0870 numbers. In addition he appears to have fallen for NEG's propaganda  on call answering being quicker with their system.  Call answering is only as quick as the people who answer - I do not exoect that NEG or any Gps are employing extra personnel to man the equipment.
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NonGeographicalMan
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #33 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 3:02pm
 
Quote:
David Colin-Thome (National Clinical Director for Primary Care) said on yesterday's You and Yours (listen here) that the reason they're banning 0870 is because they've had "valid feedback from the public."


So what the DoH now need is more valid complaints from members of the public regarding the hazards of 0844, especially when calling on Saturday, from a Payphone or overseas.  When they get enough of those valid complaints then they will have to revert to a geographic number.  If they had changed to 0845 it would just about have been tolerable as although a con its a very widely practiced con and still universally cheaper than 0870, except from a BT Payphone.

I recommend you all email the doctor interviewed on You & Yours pointing out why 0844 is not the solution to the problem.
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NonGeographicalMan
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #34 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 3:09pm
 
Quote:
If they had changed to 0845 it would just about have been tolerable as although a con its a very widely practiced con and still universally cheaper than 0870, except from a BT Payphone.


Also don't forget that the official BT response to the Ofcom NTS Options for the Future consultation recommends abolishing revenue sharing on 0845 and 0870 and reverting them to costing no more than geographic uk calls.  But BT still suggests that revenue sharing be retained on 0844 and 0871.  This is another reason why changing to 0844 by NEG is not acceptable.

And what's all this rubbish some of you spout about NEG buying up blocks of 0844 numbers at great cost?  If you are a telecoms carrier in the business of flogging 084x and 087x you will already own large blocks of these numbers that you can reallocate as you see fit.  And the costs of acquiring these blocks are not at all substantial.  Also assuming they don't just fleece doctor's surgeries at NEG they undoubtedly need the 0844 numbers anyway for other parts of their NGN misselling operations.

So don't give me all the bleeding heart stuff about poor old NEG having had to specially buy up large blocks of numbers at great expense.  They no doubt also own great blocks of 0845 numbers and could change the doctors surgeries to one of those tomorrow at the drop of a hat if they wanted to.
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« Last Edit: Feb 27th, 2005 at 3:10pm by N/A »  
 
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kk
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #35 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 5:57pm
 
Does anyone have an email address for Dr David Colin-Thome?
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NonGeographicalMan
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #36 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 6:53pm
 
Quote:
Does anyone have an email address for Dr David Colin-Thome?


Here are his biographical notes from the Department of Health website:-

David Colin-Thome - National Clinical Director for Primary Care

Or if that doesn't work just type "dr david colin-thome" into Google.

A bit of trial and error was required on the email address front but I eventually tracked it down:-

david.colin-thome@dh.gsi.gov.uk

You may therefore like to give Dr Colin-Thome your opinion of the even greater scam involved in calling 0844 numbers.

Edited by Dave: Corrected link
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« Last Edit: Feb 27th, 2005 at 8:00pm by Dave »  
 
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Dave
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #37 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 7:32pm
 
Quote:
And what's all this rubbish some of you spout about NEG buying up blocks of 0844 numbers at great cost?  If you are a telecoms carrier in the business of flogging 084x and 087x you will already own large blocks of these numbers that you can reallocate as you see fit. ....

A check of Numbers administered by Ofcom shows that they don't appear to have any 08 numbers at all. So I presume they sub-contract another provider's services.
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kk
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #38 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 8:02pm
 
Hi NGM

Thanks for the info.

An email will soon be on its way.

kk
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NonGeographicalMan
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #39 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 8:21pm
 
Quote:
Hi NGM

Thanks for the info.

An email will soon be on its way.

kk


An email will also soon be on its way from me too and I hope also from some of the other participants in this particular thread.

It might also be nice if some of you could email the producer of You & Yours - dan.saladino@bbc.co.uk - asking if they haven't allowed NEG and the NHS to perhaps escape rather too lightly by suggesting that 0844 are an entirely acceptable substitute for the present 0870 number range used.

Pointing out that 0844 numbers are not the same price at all as the much longer established and also one priced "local rate" 0845 numbers would be helpful as would pointing out that from a BT Phonebox that 0844 numbers (at 13p per minute compared to 11p for 0870 at all times) cost more to call than 0870.

Its also worth pointing out that the BT submission to Ofcom on NTS recommends returning 0870 and 0845 to normally priced calls at the same rate as geographic calls but that BT proposes that revenue share and high call prices can continue unabated on 0844 and 0871.  Indeed in the future there may even be allowed what Ofcom likes to call increased pricing "granularity" (to you or me that means yet higher prices and more lying and cheating of telecoms customers) on 0844 and 0871 numbers.

It may also be worth making these points in your email to the good doctor.
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #40 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 8:55pm
 
Today it has been suggested that NEG are in cohorts with HMG.

I have thought so for ages, but does anyone have any evidence?

Does Alistair Campbell who works for both have any idea?

All ideas welcome.

And NGM, please moderate your langauge a little, it was I who suggested that NEG have "Spent a fortune".

It was someone else who had the "Bleeding Heart" theory.

Some of the time we are wrong, sometimes we are right, but we all are out for the same thing, if you alienate people with that sort of talk you will see the membership of this forum go down fast.

I have written to ALL of the people listed, and I mean written, on headed notepaper with a first class stamp.

8)
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NonGeographicalMan
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #41 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 9:07pm
 
Quote:
Some of the time we are wrong, sometimes we are right, but we all are out for the same thing, if you alienate people with that sort of talk you will see the membership of this forum go down fast.

I have written to ALL of the people listed, and I mean written, on headed notepaper with a first class stamp.

8)


Juby,

Your energy in actually sending these people a traditional physical communication is greatly admired.

Depending on who one is communicating with this can be an effective tactic in giving one's communication more gravitas but on the other hand letters are often intercepted by secretaries, whereas emails can quite often still reach senior people directly.

Apologies if my response on the 0844 "bleeding heart" stuff was a little OTT as I did not mean to offend such a valued contributor to this forum as yourself.

I think I had wrongly imagined that it was the bastardos at NEG who had suggested that the 0844s were costing them lots more money to implement.

When you say "Alistair Campbell works for NEG" do you mean the "Alistair Campbell" of Blairite spin doctor fame?  If so no wonder he imagines he can spin people into believeing a premium rate 0870 call costs no more than a standard geographic national rate call.
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« Last Edit: Feb 27th, 2005 at 9:08pm by N/A »  
 
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Dave
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #42 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 9:33pm
 
Of course, apart from the way NEG has been allowed to profit directly from patients, the revenue generated is proportional to the volume of call traffic. It is a 'pay as you go' service!

Indeed, if it's that good, why doesn't the DH have a national contract with NEG (to make it cheaper per practice)? Oh, I forgot, it's free anyway.  Roll Eyes
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« Last Edit: Feb 27th, 2005 at 9:38pm by Dave »  
 
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kk
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #43 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 10:25pm
 
I am concerned about the £500 payment mentioned in the official press release issued by the Department of Health. This does not sound right to me  - to say the least.  Maybe the National Audit office should get involved.
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juby
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Re: NHS premium & national rate phone lines ba
Reply #44 - Feb 27th, 2005 at 10:28pm
 
Now you raise a interesting point, is it the real AC or is a lookalike?

The Y&Y progamme on which that person was interviewed was certainly convinced.

I am not certain however, therefore I am reluctant to commit.

I did however publish this (modified) page on my web site on the day it was broadcast.

http://www.pervance.com/html/0870.html

Can anybody please help - Is he the real thing?

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