Doctors should no longer be using 0844 telephone numbers that charge patients extra to call their GPs, the Department of Health has said.

The Government said that GPs should be using alternatives to the numbers, which are up to 4p a minute more expensive to call from a BT landline than a standard local call. Practices can also receive a rebate on incoming 0844 calls.

The Times reported in July that more than 1,200 doctors’ surgeries are using the numbers, prompting a campaign by consumer lobbyists who say that GPs are unfairly profiting from patients’ calls.

In a statement to primary care trusts, the Department of Health said: “We do not expect GPs to break existing contracts, but they should not be entering new ones that would involve patients being charged more than for a local call.”

Michael Kennedy, a member of the saynoto0870.com internet forum, said: “GPs who have contracted to use these revenue-sharing numbers may well be in breach of their contracts because they are precluded from charging patients.”

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