Rethink on Gaywood GP 'phone charges?
GAYTON Road Health Centre in Gaywood is wrong to charge patients over the odds for 'phoning the doctors', the Government has said.
Now health bosses are advising doctors' surgeries to ditch the higher-cost 084 phone numbers as the patient backlash continues.
The controversial number, which costs 5p a minute from a land line, compared to a local rate of 3.25p and up to 40p from a mobile, has caused outrage among many patients who resent paying extra to call a local number.
Now the Government's Department of Health has written to Primary Care Trust executives asking them to alert all health centres to the number of concerns raised about the number.
Only Gayton Road Health Centre, in Gaywood, Dersingham's Carole Brown surgery, operated by Vida Healthcare, and two others in Norfolk currently use the 084 number and it is not known if they plan to switch back to a cheaper number in light of the latest guidance.
Health ministers are currently collecting information on the use of 084 numbers and are expected to decide by the end of the month whether further guidance is needed.
The Department of Health's letter to the PCT executives said: "The department is currently gathering evidence and views on this subject and will consider whether further action is necessary once that process is concluded.
"In the meantime I would like to reiterate the Government's position that patients should not be expected to pay more than the equivalent of a local call and ask you to consider what action would be necessary to ensure that this is achieved."
But unless new laws are passed, it is up to each individual surgery what phone system they use.
Ms Lesley Stephen, acting primary care contracts manager for Norfolk PCT said: "Though this is entirely a decision for individual practices, NHS Norfolk would encourage GPs to consult with patient representative groups before considering installing such a phone system.
"Last year, we looked into the matter with the three practices concerned and encouraged them to take on board any patient feedback about existing systems before renewing their phone supplier contracts."
Nobody at Vida Healthcare was available to comment.
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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