The pathetic excuses offered here are typical of those found in many other places:
The cost of telephoning an 0844 number is the same as a "standard" rate BT call.
Demonstably not true and varies according to provider.
It is recognised and acknowledged that telephone calls from other providers may vary in cost depending on the "package" being provided.
That in and of itself is not the issue. Of course the various providers charge differing amounts for calling 0844 numbers.
Telephone costs for calls from mobile phones may be considerably higher.
That is to be expected. It's a mobile phone.
The fact that calling an 0844 number from a mobile phone costs more than calling an 0844 number from a landline is still not the issue.
The issue is that calling an 0844 number from a mobile costs a LOT more than calling an 01, 02 or 03 number from a mobile.
Additionally, calling an 0844 number from most landlines costs more than calling an 01, 02 or 03 number from a landline.
THAT is where the breaches in the NHS regulations occur.
The practice has no control over the telephone costs and the surgery is not allowed to "profit" from the use of 0844 numbers.
The practice does have some control over telephone call costs.
Call costs are directly linked with the type of number the practice uses.
Where an 0844 number is in use, all people calling it will be paying more than if they had called an 01, 02 or 03 number.
OFCOM recommend that 0844 numbers should not cost more than 5p per minute(including VAT).
That might be true for calls from a BT landline, but does not cover other providers or calls from mobiles.
Profit by the surgery is not the issue either. It's about callers being charged a premium for contacting their GP, a premium caused wholly by usage of an 0844 (or other 084 or 087 number) instead of a standard 01, 02 or 03 number.
However this is a recommendation and not all providers will choose to follow this.
Yeah, the previous guff was rather pointless then.
It totally misses the point: 0844 numbers cost more to call than 01, 02 and 03 numbers.
0844 numbers for GPs have been banned by the NHS since April 2010.
The site goes on to quote statements from the then Health Minister Mike O?Brien MP made on 14th September 2009 in support of 0844 usage, but fail to mention later policies in April 2010 banning these numbers.
The use of 084 numbers in the NHS will continue with the support of the Department of Health, so long as patients do not pay more than the cost of a local call;
All users do pay more to call 0844 numbers, so this is clearly erroneous.