Sherbert

I will add my hope, for your sake, that you are able to through to the surgery on the alternative number when you need to. Sadly, you have to hope that other patients will continue to ring the 0844 number, so that the single line alternative is not busy when you need it - this is a very ugly situation.

This "two tier" approach is a breach of the fundamental principles of the NHS. The NHS provides the best care possible to all, on equal terms - without charge. (The charges that are authorised are subject to exemptions on the basis of need and ability to pay and set by parliament, not individual providers.) In this case it has been introduced as a way of distracting attention from a breach of a specific requirement to cease use of expensive numbers.

Your surgery must not cause you to suffer an inferior service because you are unwilling to incur improper charges.

Obviously, I wish you well and hope that you, and all other patients, are able to get through on the geographic number whenever you need to. This is however not what "choice" in the NHS can be about - paying for a normal service, with the option to take an inferior service without charge.

Good Morning David

I hope you are keeping well,

Just a quick message in regard to Doctors Surgeries, My local MP Dan Jarvis Barnsley Central appears to have dropped the ball in this regard although he says he has passed it on to one of his minions.

Do you knnow the state of play?

Baz

Looks like bad weather postponed the match.

YIPPEE as a follow on to my earlier post our local doctors at Monk Bretton have changed to a 0345 number I will post the entry on the database

bazzerfewi wrote on Oct 23^rd, 2013 at 9:53pm:


The only definition of a "LEEP" I can find states "loop electrocautery excision procedure ".    

I suppose some sort of medical term is appropriate.

loddon wrote on Sep 9^th, 2013 at 6:59am:


NHS England announced "it will crack down on GPs use of premium phone numbers", reported 1st May.

Well, here we are SIX MONTHS later and what has NHS England achieved???   Square root of s-d all.   

They are as incompetent and ineffective as all the others!!! 

loddon wrote on Nov 1^st, 2013 at 5:57pm:

As the fair telecoms campaign is working alongside NHS England on this issue, we must take our share of the blame for the time that it is taking for action to be initiated.

The previous structure in place failed totally to secure compliance with the revised contractual terms. NHS England is very short of resources to handle its new role of directing these activities from the centre, in place of the network of autonomous PCTs, which could only be "guided" by the Department of Health.

Whilst it is demonstrable that we have seen little effect during the 7 months that NHS England has existed, the PCTs had 7 years of guidance during which little or nothing was achieved. It may be premature to draw a conclusion of equivalent ineffectiveness. An accusation of incompetence can only relate to individual officers and the powers they hold. That is not something that I like to see written, unless it can be specific and sustained by evidence.

Of course we are all frustrated by the fact that the changes we seek happen only slowly. I have to part company with those who are only interested in that which can be achieved quickly, as it is far too limited for my wishes.

The Sunday Mirror is reporting that NHS England is going to ban GPs from using 0844 rip-off phone numbers:---

The headline states :---

"GPs to be banned from using costly phone lines"

"This week NHS England will order GPs to get rid of the expensive lines, which cost up to 41p a minute from a mobile, and switch to local numbers."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/money/personal-finance/gps-banned-using-rip-off-phonelin...



Similar headlines were seen in September 2009 which stated that 0844 numbers were banned but it didn't happen :---

"Whitehall pulls the plug on GPs' costly 0845 phone lines "

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1213223/Whitehall-pulls-plug-GPs-costly-...


Let us hope that this report is accurate and let us see how quickly NHS England require GPs to get off their rip-off numbers.