HOUSE OF COMMONS -25 JANUARY 2012 MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH-MR SIMON BURNS

For more information on how to revert back to a local number please visit www.premierpatientline.co.uk/number-ranges/

UPDATE ON THE USE OF 0844 NUMBERS FOR GP SURGERIES

From His Speech:

“Under the directions and the amendments to the general medical services and primary medical services regulations, it became compulsory for GP practices and NHS bodies to review how much it cost patients to call them. If they found that patients were being charged more than a standard local landline call, they had one year to take all reasonable steps, which could include varying the terms of their telephony contract, cancelling the contract, or offering an alternative number to call”

“Since the rules came into force, I understand that there has been confusion in the NHS about what the regulations and the directions include. I am grateful for this opportunity to clarify some of those misconceptions in the NHS and elsewhere. There have been claims that mobile phones are not covered by the 2010 regulations, but that is not true. The regulations cover landlines, mobiles and payphones equally. The legislation is absolutely clear that if a person calls a GP surgery with an 084 number from a mobile, landline or payphone, they should not pay more than they would if they called a local landline number from the same phone”

“Questions have also been raised about how a patient can challenge their GP practice or PCT if they believe that they are being charged more than the cost of an equivalent local call. Any action taken should be on the basis of robust evidence. GP practices and their PCTs should look at evidence of call costs to determine whether their patients are being charged more than they should be. Such evidence could include cost-per-call information from providers, such as O2, Vodafone and BT. A suitable sample should be considered, bearing in mind the different contracts that patients can choose to sign up to”

“A practice can also look at cost-per-call information that is provided by patients. Using that information, it would be possible to compare directly the cost of calling a GP practice’s 084 number with the cost of calling a local land-line number. If the evidence suggests that using a specific number is not costing patients more than it should, the GP practice should be free to continue using 084 numbers. If patients are being charged more than they should be, they should take the steps that I have already mentioned to rectify the situation”

In Summary:

• AN 0844 NUMBER SHOULD NOT COST A PATIENT MORE THAN  CALLING A LOCAL NUMBER
• GP SURGERIES AND PCT’S COULD FACE CLAIMS FROM PATIENTS WHO PROVE CALLING A 0844 NUMBER INSTEAD OF A LOCAL NUMBER IS MORE EXPENSIVE. THIS APPLIES TO ALL LANDLINES, MOBILES AND PAYPHONES.
• IF A SURGERY CHARGES A PATIENT MORE THEN A LOCAL RATE USING AN 0844 NUMBER THEY ARE IN BREACH OF GENERAL MEDICAL SERVICE REGULATIONS
• THE FACTS:BT STANDARD RESIDENTIAL RATE PLAN CONFIRMS A CALL TO AN 0844 NUMBER IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN TO A LOCAL NUMBER*
• THE FACTS:O2 MOBILE STANDARD RRP RATE PLAN CONFIRMS A CALL TO AN 0844 NUMBER IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN TO A LOCAL NUMBER**

Choices:

• YOU CAN MIGRATE YOUR 0844 NUMBER TO A 034 NUMBER?
  034 NUMBERS ARE CHARGED AT LOCAL RATES BUT THE SURGERY WILL INCURR A COST FOR EVERY CALL-THIS CAN BE UP TO 3 PENCE PER MINUTE WHICH WILL COST SURGERIES MORE
• PATIENT FEEDBACK CONFIRMS THAT THEY WOULD PREFER THEIR SURGERY TO HAVE A LOCAL GEOGRAPHIC NUMBER

*Information based on BT Prices for calls to Specialised Numbers from BT Residential Fixed Lines -Tariff Guide
1st January 2012
**Information based on O2 RRP rate plan

What Our Existing Practice Managers Say

• “We were tied into a contract with more than three years to go “
• “Premier Choice dealt with everything.”
• “We did not want to go back to our patients getting the engaged tone”
• “Premier choice spent time with us to make sure we improved patient access  brilliant job”
• “What a great job. We did not even know they were on site when we changed over to Premier Choice” ( senior partner comment )
• “We wanted someone who had been through the changes”
• “Premier choice gave us lots of names of practice managers we could speak to who gave us the reassurance we needed to make the change with Premier Choice”

(Reference sites are available nationwide)

The Answer

• CONTACT PREMIER CHOICE TELECOM LIMITED

Why?

• WE ARE A LEADING TELEPHONY PROVIDER FOR GP SURGERIES
• WE UNDERSTAND EXISTING AGREEMENTS YOU MAY HAVE IN PLACE FOR 0844 NUMBERS AND PROVIDE SOLUTIONS OF HOW TO END YOUR LIABILITIES
• WE HAVE VAST AND PROVEN EXPERIENCE IN CHANGING SURGERIES BACK TO A LOCAL GEOGRAPHIC NUMBER WITH NO IMPACT TO YOUR CURRENT SERVICES

Next Step

For a free impartial consultation with one of our experienced GP Surgery Account Managers

For more information on how to revert back to a local number please visit www.premierpatientline.co.uk/number-ranges/

Please contact Premier Choice Telecom as follows: