NHS GP Telephone Numbers: Analysis of call rates

NHS GPs are banned from using telephone numbers that cost more to call than geographic ones, and this has been the case since 1st April 2011. They were given a year (from April 2010) to make any necessary changes so that persons do not pay more.

A Health Minister stated in Parliament:

“It is absolutely clear that there is no distinction between landlines, mobiles or payphones. The directions are very clear that patients should not expect to be charged any more.”

This quashes any suggestion by some parties that the ban doesn’t extend to mobile phones or only applies to certain BT customers.

I have compiled an extensive list of rates charged by various landline, mobile and public payphone operators for calls to geographic, 0845 and 0844 numbers used by surgeries. To download it, follow the link at the bottom of this posting.

This evidence proves beyond reasonable doubt that persons do in fact pay more to ring practices on their 0844 and 0845 numbers.

That is, unless they can demonstrate that persons do not and will never subscribe to all the tariffs I’ve highlighted. I think that the likelihood of this happening is zero.

• Download my paper NHS GP Telephone Numbers: Analysis of Call Rates (PDF | 143kB)