People are once again kicking up a fuss over phone numbers. There’s now talk of banning the 0844 and 0845 numbers that apparently a fifth of 8000 GP Practices are using. And lest we forget, the 0845 NHS Direct number too!
Well, let’s take a look at 0844 and 0845 shall we? 0844 and 0845 numbers are not, contrary to popular belief, premium rate numbers. Let me repeat that – 0844 and 0845 numbers are not premium rate! It does not cost the national debt to ring them and I seriously doubt that people would actually appreciate a local number for NHS Direct.
With 0844 and 0845 numbers, GP Practices can gain Network Level Services. This means that call recording, call statistics, call reporting and call re-routing to contact centres are all features available to GPs because they have an 0844 or 0845 number. So imagine the line’s busy when you ring your doctor – we can divert you to a contact centre or to another GP Practice. Calls can be recorded for legal reasons and training purposes. Listen to me when I say, 0844 and 0845 numbers are not the enemy! Instead, they enable your GP to offer you a better service – and let’s face it, we’d only complain if they didn’t.
0844 numbers may be cheaper than premium rates but if the number is constantly engaged then presumably every time you try you will be charged.
actually, you don’t get charged for an engaged tone, you’re only charged once you’re actually through. Unless of course it is an IVR service.
Let me say this very slowly.
Calls to all 084 numbers are charged at a premium, because the revenue taken by the originating telco is shared with that terminating the call. This money could be used towards paying for the Network Level Services, or they could be paid for by the recipient of the call, e.g. with a 03xx number.
The question for the NHS is of whether patients or providers should pay for the facilities used by providers to deliver NHS services. Paying £4 rather than £2 for a ten minute call to get through to a surgery to book an appointment on a PAYG mobile is significant for many.
Certain number ranges, now including 0871 etc. are designated by Ofcom as being used for “Premium Rate Services”. 084 numbers are not used for PRS. The rate for calling them does however include a premium and so may be fairly described as being (without quotes, or capitals to avoid possible confusion with a term defined in statute) a premium rate.
The NTS condition imposed on BT causes the “normal” element of the call charge for 084 numbers to be considerably less than the unregulated rate applied to non-inclusive calls to normal numbers by call plan customers. Look at the tariffs for Virgin Media and the mobile companies (now representing more than 50% of calls made) and the premium is clear to see. In the case of the 0844 numbers, call type “g6″ numbers are favoured over 0845 by most NHS providers because the revenue share is considerably greater, the premium is 100% for BT callers with a call plan in effect at the time of the call.
Please continue to make the case that calling 084 numbers enables service providers to deliver better service by telephone than would be the case if they had to pay for them themselves, e.g. on 03xx numbers. I cannot see the problem with describing this as a premium service for which a premium rate has to be paid, although because the premium is modest it delivers great value for money.
There is nothing wrong or shameful about such a suggestion. This arrangement cannot however apply in the NHS, or any other situation where the provider is expected to meet their own costs rather than transferring them to callers, who rightly meet their own incidental costs by paying the price of a normal telephone call.
I agree with most of what you say David Hickson, but there is a major problem with 0844 numbers — they are never included in a callers package and they never will be. This makes all calls to 0844 numbers vastly more expensive than normal geographic numbers and this is why the public generally hate them and patients of doctors using 0844 loathe and despise these GP practices for showing greed and contempt for using 0844 quite unnecessarily. All the facilities needed are available on the private PBX and a normal geo number could be used. It’s about time the NHS and GPs in particular stopped ripping-off the Great British Public. When will Commerce and Government wake up and realise that 0845, 0844, 0871 etc means RIP-OFF in most people’s minds and they are NOT to be trusted???