Sheffield Local Involvement Network

Sheffield LINk has been concerned about the cost of 0844 and 0845 phone numbers at GP practices for some time. Earlier this year, we brought this up with NHS Sheffield when members of the public alerted us to the issue.  The Department of Health (DH) had set a deadline of April 1 for surgeries to ‘take reasonable steps to ensure that patients do not pay more than they would to make an equivalent geographic call’, although these numbers were not banned.

In May, the LINkissued a ‘request for information’ to NHS Sheffield on this matter and the response came through within the required 20 working days. In summary, it appears that all practices should have 0114 numbers by the end of July and, in the meantime, if you are in doubt about the cost of your call, please request a call back.

1. We asked: How many practices are still using these numbers and the cost of the calls
   They responded: 72 practices still use them, however, since the cost of calls to these lines varies according to the caller’s phone provider, NHS Sheffield was unable to confirm the cost of calls to lines other than those from BT landlines.
2. We asked: During previous discussions we discovered that practices could keep the 084 number if they charged the same as a local call. We asked how many practices plan to do this, what it will mean for mobile phone users and how the practices will communicate with their patients about call charges?
   They responded: "While it is true that suppliers of 0844 phone numbers are able to alter the rate that is charged to callers for calls to these numbers, a recent meeting with the largest supplier of 0844/0845 numbers to practices in the City, has confirmed that because there is an element of the call charge set by the caller's provider it is unlikely that provider can guarantee that calls to these numbers are at the geographical rate. As such all practices with 0844/0845 are being advised to switch to a geographical rate number by the end of July 2011."
3. We asked: When they expect all practices to have complied with the DH directive?
   They responded: Practices are being advised to make the change to a ‘geographical rate’ number by the end of July. They also added that the ‘regulations make provisions for any practices unable to guarantee calls to their practice are at the geographical rate to operate a call back policy all practices with a 0844/0845 number are being asked to’

Please let us know if your practice has not met this objective as Sheffield LINk will continue to keep an eye on this issue.