But both the health service and BT deny having seen any of the money.
Most 084 numbers divide call revenue between phone providers and the body receiving the call.
David Hickson, who campaigns against such numbers, has calculated that NHS Direct should have received nearly £1.1m in revenue from calls to its 0845 number.
But NHS Direct says that, in line with government guidance, it does not receive this money ‘either directly or indirectly’.
A spokeswoman said it was paying ‘the market rate the BT for the usage of our 0845 service’.
BT said it could not discuss a commercially confidential contract. But sources close to the company deny it is making excessive profits from NHS Direct patients. Instead they suggested the contract was structured to take account of this revenue.
If true, this would mean NHS Direct was indirectly benefiting from these charges.
‘That million pounds is going somewhere,’ said Mr Hickson.
Meanwhile, the DoH delayed plans to move NHS Direct to a cheaper number – even as it pushes practices to abandon their own 084 numbers.
Last February health minister Ivan Lewis ‘gave a cast iron guarantee’ that the cost of calls to NHS Direct would be slashed. The service later reserved a cheaper 0345 number
But a DoH spokesman says the move is on hold, while the government considers creating a national 3-digit number for urgent care.
jonn.elledge@haymarket.com
- See this week’s GP dated 13 February for the full story
- Do you think patients pay too much for NHS Direct calls?
Comment below and tell us what you think
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David Hickson - 13 February 2009
Whatever has happened to the million pounds or whatever the true figure is, whatever happens with NHS Direct, and whatever arrangement exists between BT Wholesale and BT Retail so that some of its customers can now get inclusive 0845 calls whilst those calling 0844 and all those on other networks pay a surcharge ...; the point is that "revenue sharing" on all 084 \(and the remaining 087) numbers must be acknowledged by all. In a NHS "free at the point of need" it cannot be acceptable for patients to be charged for services delivered or accessed by telephone. If the actual benefits of non-geographic numbers are worthwhile, then alternative fair and proper ways of funding their delivery, without patient contributions through revenue sharing \(even if it is taken from their rental fee), must be found. 03xx numbers, which provide that option, have been in use for nearly two years. It is now overdue for them to be adopted where necessary and for 084 to be banned in the NHS \(and other public services where service fees are not appropriate).
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