| |
Costly calls to doctors
• A BAN on the use by GP surgeries of revenue-sharing phone numbers beginning with 0844 is being considered by the Department of Health. It launched an England-wide consultation to ask people whether they want GPs to keep these numbers.
In Islington, out of the nearly 40 GP practices there are only two surgeries that use these numbers, which are expensive for patients to call: Islington Central Medical Centre and St Peter Street Medical Practice. The excuse for introducing these numbers was that they would improve the service to patients. In fact, a company called NEG sold the surgeries a telephone system called Surgery Line and persuaded them to make patients pay for it through raised telephone charges.
The NHS must be free at the point of use. GP practices are businesses which should bear their operating costs. They are adequately rewarded by the taxpayer. GPs now earn well in excess of £100,000 a year and they can afford to pay for any telephone system they choose to install in the same way as they pay staff wages, buy stationery, improve their premises and pay other utility bills.
Everybody who feels strongly about a few Islington doctors flouting the basic principle of the NHS in this way should raise their voices by responding to the consultation. The closing date is March 31 and responses can be sent by post or email.
The consultation document is available on the internet at: www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_091879. Hard copies can be requested by email from 084consultation@dh.gsi.gov.uk.
CW
N5
(Name and address supplied)
|
| |
|
 |
| |
| |
| |
