 A CAMPAIGNER has welcomed the recent announcement that a consultation into the use of the controversial ‘Surgery Line” telephone system is to be held.
Sheryll Murray has spoken of her support for the public consultation over the use of expensive 0844 telephone numbers by GPs and healthcare providers.
Sheryll said she hoped the consultation exercise would highlight the alarming issues many patients had faced after surgeries refused to provide them with cheaper, local telephone numbers.
Earlier this year, Sheryll issued calls for doctor’s surgeries across South East Cornwall to make public their local direct dial telephone numbers for patients’ use, rather then rely on using the costly 0844 telephone numbers.
As part of those calls, she put forward proposals that the Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust (PCT) should make is compulsory for all GPs to publish the local telephone number - in addition to the 0844 number – in a report submitted to its select committee.
In May, the PCT informed Cornwall County Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee that it had formulated a three-point action plan over the issue – which included requesting GP surgeries to offer a choice of either using the 0844 or local telephone numbers to patients.
However, since then Sheryll has received a number of complaints from patients that some surgeries in South East Cornwall have refused to provide them with the cheaper, local numbers.
Now, she is urging anyone who has faced such difficulties to take part in a public consultation exercise over the issue, which runs until March 31st 2009.
Sheryll, the Conservative Prospective MP for South East Cornwall, said: “I would urge all patients who are unhappy with the use of these numbers by their surgery or other healthcare provider to respond to the consultation.
“I will be sending a full report on my work over the past year to the Dept of Health.
“Many GP surgeries entered in to contracts with telephone service providers in good faith and if the Minister concludes that the use of these numbers must be stopped, he must ensure that any financial compensation for breaking contracts with telephone service providers is not at the expense of patient care or the GP practices.”
The consultation runs until March 31st 2009. Patients can submit their written response to 084 Consultation Responses, Department of Health, 2N16 Quarry House, Leeds, LS2 7UE.
Alternatively, the consultation document can be accessed by visiting http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_091879
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
For more information, please contact Sheryll Murray on 07703 838851.22nd December 2008 | 
