Essex surgery urged to change phone number

Date: 15/07/2011

An Essex doctors' surgery may wish to purchase a 0300 number following a row over its current prefix.

Ongar Health Centre still uses a 084 number, the Gazette reports, meaning many patients are charged premium rates to get in contact.

However, the newspaper claimed the surgery also has a geographical number that local residents could call, despite previous claims from senior partner at the Banson's Lane surgery Dr Hugh Taylor that this does not exist.

A spokesperson from campaign group saynoto0870.com said: "We think Dr Taylor does have a local number. We have called it several times and we have established it can handle queues."

This is despite regulation being introduced earlier this year stating that contact made with an NHS centre should not cost any more than a normal local phone call.

Dr Taylor is not the only one being urged to make such changes, as the Epping Forest Guardian recently reported that two surgeries in the local area still charge premium rates.