Cash saving for patients; COSTS: Health trust stops expensive 084 numbers.

Byline: Alison Dayani

A BIRMINGHAM health trust is helping save patients cash by leading the way on eliminating expensive 084 phone numbers to GP surgeries.

Campaigners have been fighting against the revenue-sharing numbers, which the Department of Health has also condemned as they cost a higher fee of 5p a minute.

Birmingham-born campaigner David Hickson, who previously led a rally call to stop companies making "silent" telemarketing calls, praised Heart of Birmingham Primary Care Trust (PCT) for taking action to change the pricey system.

"Whilst the Health Minister contemplates a delayed response to the recent consultation on a proposed ban on use of revenue sharing 084 numbers in the NHS, Heart of Birmingham PCT has been getting on with the job," Mr Hickson said.

"With the assistance of the PCT, 22 of its GPs have abandoned revenue sharing 0845 numbers in favour of 0345 numbers, which must be charged in the same way as calls to local numbers and may not be subject to revenue sharing.

"This sets a fine example to other PCTs and demonstrates that the problems in addressing this issue can be overcome."

There is strong public opinion on the expensive call system and an internet petition to Prime Minister Gordon Brown to ban the use of revenue sharing numbers attracted more than 26,000 signatures.

Mr Hickson is heading a campaign as he claims the 084 numbers "exploit" patients.

The 0844 and 0845 non-geographical numbers were introduced to help surgeries deal with more calls on more modern telecom systems, but there was an extra cost to patients when calling doctors for an appointment on these numbers as they paid more than a local rate call to offset the cost of equipment used.

These numbers allow patients to wait in a call queue rather than having to repeatedly hang up and redial, choose from a menu of options and be automatically directed to the most appropriate place without having to dial another number and also book appointments or order repeat prescriptions via an automated system.