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GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire) (Read 891,417 times)
CJT-80
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #465 - Oct 15th, 2012 at 6:34pm
 
SilentCallsVictim wrote on Oct 13th, 2012 at 1:34pm:
Northgate Village Surgery

Northgate Avenue   Chester   CH2 2DX

http://www.northgatesurgery.co.uk


Quote:
New Surgery Telephone Number

As from the 4th October 2012, our surgery will have a new telephone system which we hope will help us to deal with your calls more efficiently.

The Number is 08443 878396.      

When possible, please call us from a landline or check with your mobile provider for the cost to you. One of our old numbers will be kept for a time but please be aware that this line will not place you into the new systems queue so there may be a delay answering your call.



Good Evening,

Might I recommend some constructive feedback from Fair Telecom's including links to the DoH website on using such numbers?

There is a feedback form here: http://www.northgatesurgery.co.uk/contact_dlg1.aspx?p=N81121
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CJT-80

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SilentCallsVictim
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #466 - Oct 15th, 2012 at 11:43pm
 
CJT-80 wrote on Oct 15th, 2012 at 6:34pm:
Might I recommend some constructive feedback from Fair Telecom's including links to the DoH website on using such numbers?

Thanks for the tip.

A media release has been issued, first being copied to the practice and other relevant personnel (see here).

Feeds of published campaigning activities (including that through fair telecoms) are available here for viewing and subscription.

Postings in this forum are made to alert, and perhaps encourage activity from, SayNoTo0870 followers.


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derrick
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #467 - Oct 16th, 2012 at 11:50am
 
And maybe those replying could include an 0844 number as their phone contact, these are freely available,(FOC), across the web.

.
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bazzerfewi
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #468 - Oct 17th, 2012 at 4:36am
 
All the following numbers are provided by Kingston Communications, and Talk Talk

Barnsley PCT 56 Royston Group Practice 65d Midland Road, Royston, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S71 4QW 0844 477 2506 0844 (g6) Talk Talk Barnsley Central
.
Barnsley PCT 56 The Kakoty Practice - Sheffield Road Surgery 170 Sheffield Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 4NW 0845 122 0809 845 Kingston Barnsley Central
.
Barnsley PCT 56 Gold Street Surgery 1a Gold Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 1TT 0845 122 2376 845 Kingston Barnsley Central
.
Barnsley PCT 56 Lundwood Medical Centre PMS Practice Pontefract Road, Lundwood, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S71 5PN 0845 122 7269 845 Kingston Barnsley Central
.
Barnsley PCT 56 Galtee More 164 Doncaster Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 1UD 0845 122 8023 845 Kingston Barnsley Central
.
Barnsley PCT 56 McDonald KW & Partners 44 Cawthorne Road, Barugh Green, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S71 1LQ 0845 123 7574 845 Kingston Barnsley Central
.
Barnsley PCT 56 McDonald KW & Partners 6 Huddersfield Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2LT 0845 123 8836 845 Kingston Barnsley Central
.
Barnsley PCT 56 Brierley Medical Centre Church Drive, Brierley, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S72 9HZ 0845 120 9989 845 Kingston Barnsley East
.
Barnsley PCT 56 Bell A R Mayflower Way, Wombwell, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S73 0AJ 0845 121 7223 845 Kingston Barnsley East
.
Barnsley PCT 56 The Kakoty Practice Worsbrough Mount Pleasant, West Street, Worsbrough, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 5NT 0845 122 0819 845 Kingston Barnsley East
.
Barnsley PCT 56 Worsbrough Health Centre Powell Street, Worsbrough, Barnsley S70 5NZ 0845 122 7487 845 Kingston Barnsley East
.
Barnsley PCT 56 Worsbrough Health Centre Powell Street, Worsbrough, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 5NZ 0845 123 6277 845 Kingston Barnsley East
.
Barnsley PCT 56 Hourihane B & Partners George Street, Wombwell, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S73 0DD 0845 125 5069 845 Kingston Barnsley East
.
Barnsley PCT 56 Walderslade Hoyland Surgery High Croft, Hoyland, Barnsley, S Yorkshire S74 9AF 0845 125 7247 845 Kingston Barnsley East
.
Barnsley PCT 56 Yaqub M Cliffe Road, Brampton, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S73 0XP 0845 123 6788 845 Kingston Wentworth and Dearne
.
Barnsley PCT 56 Mohammed Ismail Kadar Sha Holly Bush Drive, Thurnscoe, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S63 0LT 0845 124 4378 845 Kingston Wentworth and Dearne
.
Barnsley PCT 56 Kadarsha SHM Goldthorpe Green, Goldthorpe, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S63 9EH
0845 124 4378 845
Kingston Wentworth and Dearne

I have contacted both Kingston and Talk Talk Shocked on a number of occassions requesting the GEO numbers and they have always given me the alternative number.
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bazzerfewi
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #469 - Oct 17th, 2012 at 4:39am
 
If I had the time I would contact them myself but unfortunetly I do not at present. Maybe some of the numbers are on the database, but in any event it has been fruitful for me contacting these two providers in the past and just requesting the alternative 01226 numbers
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Dave
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #470 - Oct 19th, 2012 at 10:50am
 
The two surgeries that have recently converted to 084 numbers are featured in a story from E-Health Insider:

Two new surgeries get 084 numbers
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speedy
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #471 - Oct 20th, 2012 at 11:19am
 
Here is another one from the Which Conversation thread - Street Lane Practice, Roundhay, Leeds, the Comment said it had a geo. number until a few months ago. He didnt give the 0844 number.
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Dave
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #472 - Oct 25th, 2012 at 2:26pm
 
It's all happening in Kent!

Another report, this time in the Kent Messenger:

GPs will have to find a cure for costly 0844 phone calls


fairtelecoms
has published some comments following this particular report:

A Message from Kent -"GP phone cost makes us sick" (PDF)
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Dave
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #473 - Nov 14th, 2012 at 9:05pm
 
Here's a story from last week about GPs in Barking and Dagenham:

Patients charged premium rates to call doctor’s surgeries

Local MP Margaret Hodge says it's outrageous!
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catj
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #474 - Dec 1st, 2012 at 4:38pm
 
Northgate surgery now offer a two teir system for contacting the surgery based on whether you pay for the call or not:

http://www.northgatesurgery.co.uk/

Quote:
New Surgery Telephone Number

As from the 4th October 2012, our surgery will have a new telephone system which we hope will help us to deal with your calls more efficiently.

The Number is 08443 878396. Alternatively, you can still contact us on 01244 381418.      

When possible, please call us from a landline or check with your mobile provider for the cost to you.
One of our old numbers will be kept for a time but please be aware that this line will not place you into the new systems queue so there may be a delay answering your call.


(Site updated 09/11/2012)
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Dave
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Re: GPs in South Yorkshire (and other areas)
Reply #475 - Dec 4th, 2012 at 5:57pm
 
Dave wrote on Jun 24th, 2011 at 8:52pm:
A story published by the Ongar Gazette today:

084 number costs some BT callers 13p a minute

A HEALTH centre is being accused of charging patients premium rates to call its phone number.

Patients using the Ongar Health Centre have complained they are being charged more than the cost of a standard call when calling the surgery.

Following the reporting of this story last year, Ongar Health Centre abandoned its 0844 number in favour of the geographic number 01277 362255.
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« Last Edit: Dec 4th, 2012 at 5:59pm by Dave »  
 
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catj
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #476 - Dec 5th, 2012 at 12:24am
 
Quote:
Patients of the High Street Surgery and Medical Centre in Epping this week received letters advising them that, from January, open surgery in morning hours would cease.

The letter said: “Patients will have to ring the surgery and leave contact details. Your usual GP, if they are available, or one of the other GPs will ring you back that day."

The only number available for the surgery is a premium rate 0844 number - which can cost 5p per minute to call from landlines and up to 40p from mobile networks.

There is no legislation banning the use of 0844 numbers at GP practices and West Essex PCT is unable to stop their use.



http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/10087758.Patients_hit_out_as_doctor_s_surg...
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« Last Edit: Dec 5th, 2012 at 12:26am by catj »  
 
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catj
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #477 - Dec 7th, 2012 at 12:51am
 
Blatant lies spouted by GP here...

http://www.nhs.uk/Services/GP/PatientFeedback/DefaultView.aspx?id=41512


Quote:
the gp practice replied on 10 Oct 12

We are aware there is a lot of confusion in the marketplace about non-geographical telephone numbers, such as those starting with 0844, and the status of these numbers with regard to phone services within GP surgeries.
As a valued customer of Surgery Line, we’d like to take this opportunity to set the record straight and provide you with the facts behind the confusion.

FACTS ABOUT 0844 NUMBERS:
• 0844 numbers are not premium rate numbers.
• The use of 0844 numbers within the NHS is not banned, provided that surgeries are satisfied that “having regard to the arrangement as a whole, persons will not pay more to make relevant calls to the practice than they would to make equivalent calls to a geographical number.”
• The cost of calling an 0844 number depends on the individual patient’s call package or ‘bundle’ for landline and mobile calls and is not necessarily more expensive than calling a geographical number. Under many landline packages such calls are in fact cheaper and we would be happy to discuss these with you if that would be helpful.
• ‘Using an 0844 number can help a GP practice to offer additional services that improve patients’ access to care’ - according to Simon Burns, Minister for Health (Jan 2012).
• Surgery Line offers the option of additional lines alongside 0844 numbers - including geographical numbers starting 01 and 02 and 03.


We take compliance extremely seriously. This is why Surgery Line works with independent bodies that regularly review call charges and regulatory updates . We provide practices like yours with regular factsheets to help you understand the latest compliance issues.
At Surgery Line we offer our customers access to the support of a large team with knowledge and understanding of the healthcare sector, to ensure you offer the best possible service for your patients at all times.

Surgery Line is now under the ownership of Daisy Group plc, a market leader in business telecommunications, giving you the backing and peace of mind of a major national organisation, and the reassurance of a name you can trust.
We are here to help – so if you have any concerns or questions, or would like some advice about 0844 numbers, please don’t hesitate to call a member of our Account Management Team on 0844 4773956.

We are in the process of updating our “Supporting GPs with Compliance” document and will be sharing this with you in the coming weeks.


North Brink Practice, 7 North Brink, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, PE13 1JU
0844 477 3121


(cont'd...)
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« Last Edit: Dec 7th, 2012 at 4:13pm by catj »  
 
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catj
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #478 - Dec 7th, 2012 at 12:54am
 
Quote:
We are aware there is a lot of confusion in the marketplace about non-geographical telephone numbers, such as those starting with 0844, and the status of these numbers with regard to phone services within GP surgeries.

As far as I can see, most of the confusion appears to stem from incorrect information issued by NEG/Daisy in the last 5 or 6 years.

Quote:
As a valued customer of Surgery Line, we’d like to take this opportunity to set the record straight and provide you with the facts behind the confusion.

Based on the previous record of NEG/Daisy, this won't be facts, but instead will be a whole load of incorrect information.

Quote:
FACTS ABOUT 0844 NUMBERS:
• 0844 numbers are not premium rate numbers.

0844 numbers are premium rate numbers (small "p").

0844 numbers are not "Premium" (capital "P") like the Premium Rate Services using 09, 0871, 0872, 0873 and 070 numbers.

0844 numbers are however, "premium rate" (small "p") in as much as the caller pays a "surcharge" or "premium" which is passed to the service provider. They are also "premium" in that for most phone users they "cost more" than calling 01, 02 and 03 numbers. The 0844 numbers are also not included in "inclusive" call allowances.

Quote:
• The use of 0844 numbers within the NHS is not banned, provided that surgeries are satisfied that “having regard to the arrangement as a whole, persons will not pay more to make relevant calls to the practice than they would to make equivalent calls to a geographical number.”

Since 0844 numbers cost more to call than 01, 02 and 03 numbers from most landlines and from most mobiles, 0844 numbers are BANNED in the NHS (see below). They would still be banned even if it was only "some" landline and/or "some" mobile users that "pay more" when calling 0844 numbers.

Quote:
• The cost of calling an 0844 number depends on the individual patient’s call package or ‘bundle’ for landline and mobile calls and is not necessarily more expensive than calling a geographical number.

0844 numbers cost 25 to 41 pence per minute from mobile phones and are never included within "inclusive minutes" or "bundled" allowances. Where people have "inclusive" minutes in their mobile or landline deal this effectively makes their calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers "free". For pay-as-you-go users, the per-minute rate for 0844 numbers is higher than for 01 and 02 numbers. This means that calls to 0844 numbers "cost more" than 01 and 02 numbers and so 0844 numbers are BANNED in the NHS.

The ruling is that for all patients the call must not cost more than an 01 or 02 number on the same price plan, at the same time of day, so the GP must use an 01 or 02 number - or an 03 number (03 numbers are charged at the same rate as 01 and 02 numbers and "inclusive minutes" also apply).

Quote:
Under many landline packages such calls are in fact cheaper and we would be happy to discuss these with you if that would be helpful.

Calls to 0844 numbers cost 5 to 15 pence per minute from landlines. Calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers cost NOTHING for the vast majority of patients as they fall within their "inclusive minutes" bundle. 0844 numbers never appear within call bundles, "cost more" than 01 and 02 numbers and therefore 0844 numbers are BANNED in the NHS.

The ruling is that for all patients the call must not cost more than an 01 or 02 number on the same price plan, at the same time of day, so the GP must use an 01 or 02 number - or an 03 number (03 numbers are charged at the same rate as 01 and 02 numbers and "inclusive minutes" also apply).

Quote:
• ‘Using an 0844 number can help a GP practice to offer additional services that improve patients’ access to care’ - according to Simon Burns, Minister for Health (Jan 2012).

Irrelevant. The rulings cover call "price" not call queueing facilities. In any case, 03 numbers also offer the same call management facilities.

Quote:
• Surgery Line offers the option of additional lines alongside 0844 numbers - including geographical numbers starting 01 and 02 and 03.

Once it is established that 0844 numbers "cost more" the only remedy is to change to an 01, 02 or 03 number and it is not at all appropriate to continue usage of the 0844 number.

Some GPs claim to offer a "better service" if you call the 0844 number and a "reduced quality of service" if you call the geographic number. Offering a "two tier" service depending on the patient paying "more" is NOT allowed.

Quote:
We take compliance extremely seriously. This is why Surgery Line works with independent bodies that regularly review call charges and regulatory updates . We provide practices like yours with regular factsheets to help you understand the latest compliance issues.

If this were true, GPs would no longer be using premium rate 0844 numbers.

Quote:
At Surgery Line we offer our customers access to the support of a large team with knowledge and understanding of the healthcare sector, to ensure you offer the best possible service for your patients at all times.

Marketing drivel.

Quote:
Surgery Line is now under the ownership of Daisy Group plc, a market leader in business telecommunications, giving you the backing and peace of mind of a major national organisation, and the reassurance of a name you can trust.

I personally don't trust them one bit. I've read too much of their garbage like that debunked above.


(cont'd...)
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« Last Edit: Dec 7th, 2012 at 4:17pm by catj »  
 
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Re: GPs all over England (not just in South Yorkshire)
Reply #479 - Dec 7th, 2012 at 12:54am
 
Quote:
We are here to help – so if you have any concerns or questions, or would like some advice about 0844 numbers, please don’t hesitate to call a member of our Account Management Team on 0844 4773956.

Oh yeah, another premium rate number. They seem to really like them.

Quote:
We are in the process of updating our “Supporting GPs with Compliance” document and will be sharing this with you in the coming weeks.

Great.

It should say:
Quote:
The Secretary of State for Health (Andrew Lansley) said on 27th March 2012:

"We have made it very clear that GPs should not be using 0844 numbers"

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2012-03-27a.1326.4&s=%28no+OR+not%29+A...

01, 02 and 03 numbers cost most people NOTHING AT ALL per minute as they fall within their call plan "inclusive minutes".

0844 numbers cost more to call than 01, 02 and 03 numbers as there is a "premium" built into the price of calling the 0844 number. Under new regulations that will come into force next year, this "premium" will be known as the "service charge" and will have to be declared next to the phone number.

What NEG/Daisy also often fail to mention, but was confirmed in the debate
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120124/halltext/120...
is that the ruling of "must not pay more" applies both to "landlines and mobiles" and that "bundled" or "free minutes" also apply.

For all intents and purposes, 0844 numbers are banned within the NHS.

The Department of Health must issue clear guidance in one document pulling all the snippets from the last few years into one place. The DoH must also stop the nonsense of "0844 numbers can be used if they don't cost more". 0844 numbers DO cost more. This can be verified in 10 minutes by looking at the call prices for Sky, Virgin, Tesco and others and for Vodafone, O2, Orange, 3, etc.

It's not the case that if there's one phone tariff out there where 0844 numbers are cheaper than 01/02 numbers, then it's OK to use 0844 numbers. Instead, the ruling is that if there is anyone at all that would "pay more" to call 0844 numbers than to call 01 or 02 numbers on the same price plan, from the same device, at the same time of day, then 0844 numbers cannot be used.

Orange Mobile Dolphin pay-as-you-go: 01/02: 25 pence - 0844: 40 pence.

Vodafone Mobile Contract: 01/02: 0 pence - 0844: 35 pence.

Orange Mobile Racoon pay-as-you-go: 01/02: 12 pence - 0844: 40 pence.

BT's most popular landline call package: 01/02: 0 pence - 0844: 5 pence.

The above call prices confirm that for people on the above tariffs, 0844 numbers "cost more" than 01 and 02 numbers and as "the arrangement as a whole" has to be taken into account, 0844 numbers are banned in the NHS (as are 0843 numbers and a whole range of other numbers).

GPs should be using a telephone number that ensures that none of their patients "pay more" for calling their GP than when calling an 01 or 02 number on the same price plan, on the same device, at the same time of day. NEG/Daisy seem to want to believe that 0844 numbers are OK if "some" patients pay less for 0844 numbers than for 01 and 02 numbers. This is not the case.

Any telephone number that costs someone, somewhere, more than an 01 or 02 number dialled on the same price plan, from the same device, at the same time of day, cannot be used by GPs irrespective of what everyone else on other price plans or on other devices might pay. As soon as one person calling their GP is "paying more" than to call an 01 or 02 number on the same price plan, from the same device, at the same time of day, the number that "costs more" cannot be used.

The Secretary of State for Health has already confirmed in parliament that GPs should not be using 0844 numbers.

It is clear that GPs should be using only numbers that begin 01, 02 or 03.



The future:

If Ofcom go ahead with proposals to make calls to 0800 and 0808 numbers free of charge from mobile phones as well as from landlines, GPs would then be allowed to use these number ranges too. At present 0800 and 0808 numbers "cost more" than 01 and 02 numbers when called from a mobile. 0800 and 0808 numbers are not included in bundled minutes from mobiles. 0800 and 0808 numbers called from mobiles also have a higher pence per minute rate than calling 01 and 02 numbers out-of-bundle from mobiles or calling 01 and 02 numbers on a pay-as-you-go tariff from mobiles.

If all the telephone companies (all landline providers and all mobile providers) added 0842, 0843, 0844, 0845, 0870, 0871, 0872 and 0873 numbers to the list of numbers that can be called in inclusive minutes (from all landlines and from all mobiles) AND they equalised the out-of-bundle price (from all landlines and from all mobiles) and the pay-as-you-go price (from all landlines and from all mobiles) to that of calling 01 and 02 numbers from the same device, on the same price plan, at the same time of day, then, and only then, could these ranges also be used by GPs. As this is clearly not the situation that prevails, 084 and 087 numbers cannot be used by GPs.


The only number ranges that fit the current criteria of "not costing more than an 01 or 02 number" for all callers are 01, 02 and 03 numbers.
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« Last Edit: Dec 7th, 2012 at 4:21pm by catj »  
 
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