SAYNOTO0870.COM - Surgeries saying no to 0844!

SilentCallsVictim Supreme Member Offline aka NHS.Patient, DH_fairtelecoms Posts: 2,494	Re: Dr Cakebread & Partners says no to 0844! Reply #30 - Jul 29^th, 2011 at 10:15am Dave wrote on Jul 24^th, 2011 at 10:03am: Dr Cakebread and Partners at Shefford Health Centre has abandoned its 0844 894 4000 number in favour of 01462 810034: NHS Bedfordshire: 22 July 2011 : Dr Cakebread and Partners to get ‘local code’ phone number see this posting
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Dave

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Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844!
Reply #31 - Oct 28^th, 2011 at 11:37am

Report from the Halifax Courier, Tuesday 25 October 2011:

Surgery gets rid of that 0844 number

Another surgery has abandoned its TalkTalk Business Rate 0844 number. Beechwood Medical Centre in Halifax has, at some cost to itself, reverted back to a local 01422 number.

Patients have complained about being charged extra when ringing from mobile phones.

The article goes on to say that the seven practices in the area that use 0844 numbers have confirmed to the PCT that "their tariffs are in line with BT rates – the same price when calling from a landline. When calling from mobile phones, charges depend on the mobile phone provider."

They do come out with some nonsense! When calling from any phone (fixed, payphone or mobile), call charges depend on the respective operator. There is a free market for telecommunications services… yet these people still keep harping on about BT! Roll Eyes

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Dave

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Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844!
Reply #32 - Nov 10^th, 2011 at 3:12pm

Connaught Square Practice in West London got rid of its 0844 number recently.

See Patient Participation Group Minutes from Tuesday 16th August 2011 (Word document):

Quote:

Telephone system update

The new telephone system will be installed on Friday 19th August. We are in the process of deciding on the new surgery number, with the aim of choosing something which is easy to remember.
Patients will still be able to call the 0844 number and will then hear a recorded message advising them that the number has changed to an 0207 number, and they can either re-dial or stay on the line and be put through to the surgery.
Eventually (Brian will decide when) when patients call the 0844 number they will simply hear a message advising them of the new 0207 number and asking them to hang up and re-dial the new number.
Dr O’Hare stated that installing the telephone system with the 0844 number was a good idea at the time, as it funded the initial outlay required for new telephones. Unfortunately, changes in call charges have made the 0844 number expensive for many patients, and she is delighted to be changing back to a local number.

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catj Senior Member Offline Posts: 366	Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844! Reply #33 - Nov 11^th, 2011 at 8:10am Quote: they will simply hear a message advising them of the new 0207 number Eleven years after London changed to the 020 area code, why are people still saying 0207? This error says more about their understanding of telecoms than anything else.
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kasg

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Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844!
Reply #34 - Nov 11^th, 2011 at 1:02pm

catj wrote on Nov 11^th, 2011 at 8:10am:

Quote:

they will simply hear a message advising them of the new 0207 number

Eleven years after London changed to the 020 area code, why are people still saying 0207?

This error says more about their understanding of telecoms than anything else.

Not to mention "0203" which is arguably even worse. I think I have officially given up on this, just make sure I get it right myself, unlike my son, for whom it is still a crusade!

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Dave Global Moderator Offline Posts: 9,902 Yorkshire Gender:	Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844! Reply #35 - Dec 17^th, 2011 at 10:02pm I've moved the postings about Wallingbrook Health Group saying "yes" to 0844 to the thread GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire).
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catj Senior Member Offline Posts: 366	Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844! Reply #36 - Dec 31^st, 2011 at 8:41pm This page lists an 0845 number for this surgery but the NHS page now shows an 0300 number is in use. Maybe this is the start of the much-needed changeover to 01/02/03 numbers by the NHS?
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SilentCallsVictim

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Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844!
Reply #37 - Dec 31^st, 2011 at 9:45pm

catj wrote on Dec 31^st, 2011 at 8:41pm:

This page lists an 0844 number for this surgery but the NHS page now shows an 0300 number is in use.

Thanks for pointing this out. The former number was actually 0845.

Sadly compilation and review of the database from NHS Choices cannot be an ongoing exercise. For this reason every entry contains a link to the actual NHS Choices entry for verification. NHS Choices is itself commonly weeks or even months out of date. I invite feedback on the database contents page and respond to notifications such as this.

The situation in this case is explained on the practice website.

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Dave Global Moderator Offline Posts: 9,902 Yorkshire Gender:	Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844! Reply #38 - Feb 18^th, 2012 at 3:19pm Park Medical Centre in Peterborough has replaced its 0844 414 4164 number with 01733 552801.
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Dave Global Moderator Offline Posts: 9,902 Yorkshire Gender:	Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844! Reply #39 - Feb 23^rd, 2012 at 8:17pm Off-Topic replies have been moved to this Topic.
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devon jack

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Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844!
Reply #40 - Mar 3^rd, 2012 at 3:33pm

Wallingbrook Health Centre in Chulmleigh, Devon has just issued a landline number to run alongside its 0844 number. The new number is 01769 580295. It seems they are not, at this time, actually getting rid of the 0844 line but at least we no longer have to use it. In their latest newsletter they state
Quote:

However we acknowledge that we have been ill advised by the Telephone Company regarding the call charges. In order to address this issue we now have an additional number, 01769 580295, which runs alongside the 0844 number. This will drop into the menu system in the same way, the only difference being when all the lines are busy you will not be held in a queue but will get the engaged tone. Patients will need to seek advice from their call provider as to which number will be the cheapest for them to use.

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NGMsGhost

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Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844!
Reply #41 - Mar 4^th, 2012 at 4:30pm

devon jack wrote on Mar 3^rd, 2012 at 3:33pm:

This will drop into the menu system in the same way, the only difference being when all the lines are busy you will not be held in a queue but will get the engaged tone.

So a better service as you won't be ripped off queuing for minutes on end at 5p per minute plus connection charge but will only get through when someone is available to talk to you.

I am the only person to wonder how reliable the advice of these doctors is on medical matters actually is if they can't be trusted to understand phone call costs properly. Shocked

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SilentCallsVictim

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Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844!
Reply #42 - Mar 5^th, 2012 at 12:49am

NGMsGhost wrote on Mar 4^th, 2012 at 4:30pm:

devon jack wrote on Mar 3^rd, 2012 at 3:33pm:

This will drop into the menu system in the same way, the only difference being when all the lines are busy you will not be held in a queue but will get the engaged tone.

So a better service as you won't be ripped off queuing for minutes on end at 5p per minute plus connection charge but will only get through when someone is available to talk to you.

I am the only person to wonder how reliable the advice of these doctors is on medical matters actually is if they can't be trusted to understand phone call costs properly. Shocked

Two points to add here.

Firstly, we have the two tier NHS - pay more to get a better service! Is this the shape of things to come?

Secondly, is there anyone who understands phone costs properly? Even those of us who claim to, have severe limits to our knowledge and understanding.

The point worth making about GPs is not about their medical knowledge, but about their ability to lift their eyes from the individual patients they see each day to plan the resources needed to meet the health needs of a community using resources derived from taxation, which therefore need to be properly accounted for. Another key talent which will be tested as they lead Clinical Commissioning Groups will be their ability to negotiate with companies offering to deliver NHS services "free at the point of need".

If what they have demonstrated in arranging their telephone services (in many cases) is anything to go by, it is this latter skill which may well be seriously lacking. They will undoubtedly need a lot of help, advice and support and I am sure there will be many who will be happy to help them.

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NGMsGhost

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Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844!
Reply #43 - Mar 5^th, 2012 at 8:59am

SilentCallsVictim wrote on Mar 5^th, 2012 at 12:49am:

Firstly, we have the two tier NHS - pay more to get a better service! Is this the shape of things to come?

Actually its pay less to get a better service here i.e. pay less and don't stand there with a phone clamped to your ear to profit your doctor and their telco.

Quote:

Secondly, is there anyone who understands phone costs properly? Even those of us who claim to, have severe limits to our knowledge and understanding.

Yes I do. And I can drive the MSE call checker etc if there are gaps in my knowledge.

Quote:

The point worth making about GPs is not about their medical knowledge, but about their ability to lift their eyes from the individual patients they see each day to plan the resources needed to meet the health needs of a community using resources derived from taxation

Most of them have always been smug, superior and thoroughly patronising and had an "I know far better than you what is good for you" attitude in my experience. This comes from being in a control of service that is rationed and which they control all access to so they feel like gods.

Given this smug, superior and thoroughly patronising attitude they just thought they could tell their patients what phone number was best for them without actually bothering to check up on the matter properly. Shocked

Even the fact that women who want simple birth control in Britain can't get it without being probed and prodded and then lectured by these body fuhrers is all part of the same syndrome.

I look forward to the day when we can all be diagnosed by high tech computers in full confidentiality instead of being pushed around and controlled by these mini school headmasters.

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« Last Edit: Mar 5^th, 2012 at 9:04am by NGMsGhost »

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Dave

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Re: Surgeries saying no to 0844!
Reply #44 - Mar 5^th, 2012 at 10:02pm

devon jack wrote on Mar 3^rd, 2012 at 3:33pm:

Wallingbrook Health Centre in Chulmleigh, Devon has just issued a landline number to run alongside its 0844 number. The new number is 01769 580295. It seems they are not, at this time, actually getting rid of the 0844 line but at least we no longer have to use it. In their latest newsletter they state
Quote:

However we acknowledge that we have been ill advised by the Telephone Company regarding the call charges. In order to address this issue we now have an additional number, 01769 580295, which runs alongside the 0844 number. This will drop into the menu system in the same way, the only difference being when all the lines are busy you will not be held in a queue but will get the engaged tone. Patients will need to seek advice from their call provider as to which number will be the cheapest for them to use.

Thank you for posting about this. I've added an entry in the database for it. I'm not sure how many calls it will take simultaneously (before the engaged tone is heard), but I have successfully made three calls to it at the same time (from different lines) and all got through.

The number 01769 580278 was submitted to our database and goes to the second level IVR (menu) of 580295 and the 0844 number. You get to this when you select the option to be put through to the surgery (or you do at least when it is closed as it is now).

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« Last Edit: Mar 5^th, 2012 at 10:14pm by Dave »

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