Some GP surgeries across Bradford are continuing to flout Government guidelines by using ‘expensive’ phone numbers which can leave patients racking up large bills when trying to get treatment or advice.

The Telegraph & Argus can reveal about 14 per cent of surgeries in the district still have 0844 numbers – which can charge up to 41p a minute from a mobile phone – more than two years after the Department of Health (DH) ruled patients should not have to pay more than a standard geographic charge to call their doctor.

The practice manager of one of those surgeries, Ashwell Medical Centre in Manningham, admitted the situation was “unpalatable” but he said it was locked into a contract of more than five years with its telephone system provider and would have to pay the equivalent of the cost of a nurse to break it.

Councillor Mike Gibbons, chairman of Bradford Council’s health overview and scrutiny committee, condemned the situation as being ‘unfair’ for patients to be expected to pay ‘excessive amounts’ to ring their surgery.

“It is a reasonable expectation when calling a local doctor that it should be a ‘local call’,” said Coun Gibbons.

“Speaking as a local councillor, I think it’s regrettable that some surgeries signed up for a contract when they knew calls would be expensive for their patients.

“I think the practise of using these expensive phone numbers should cease as soon as possible.

“I’m sure people would prefer to press redial on a normal line than be charged. It may be a pain if you have to dial a few times, but some people have to ring their doctors often for results and things like that.

“Again, it seems to be the people most disadvantaged, in the sense that they are quite poorly, that are affected.”

According to telephone and website listings, 12 of Bradford’s 86 surgeries have 0844 numbers – although four offer an alternative ‘local’ number patients can call.

DH guidelines say NHS organisations remain free to use non-geographical number ranges such as 0844, providing that patients are not charged more than the equivalent cost of calling a geographical number to do so.

Noreen Hussain, 46, a patient at Ashwell Medical Centre, said she had been shocked to find she had made phone calls of around £6 from her landline to her surgery in less than a month.

The mum-of-four, of Fairweather Green, told how she pays £5 a month to get free local calls through her telephone operator, but calls to 0844 numbers are not included.

“In this day and age everyone’s struggling and I didn’t realise how much I was being charged until my bill arrived and wondered why it was so much,” she said.

“When I went online to look at it I was shocked to see it was the doctor’s. I think more people need to know about this.”

Ralph Greenwall, practice manager at Ashwell, said the surgery got “locked” into using an 0844 number along with a large number of GP practices and dental practices across the country that it was “not entirely happy with”.

“We have taken significant steps to try to mitigate against this and are trying where possible to use other services to reduce the need to use the phone line and, when it is required, keep the time on it to a minimum,” he added.

He said they included introducing online appointment booking and repeat prescription requests, as well as a secure text messaging service – but to leave the contract would cost the equivalent of a nurse.

“We have to be very careful with what we can do with the available funding and buying out of a telephone contract, no matter how unpalatable it is, is difficult to do,” Mr Greenwall added.

It is believed some of the surgeries in Bradford that still have 0844 numbers are charging the standard geographic rate.

Arlene Pluskota, practice manager at Dr Fenwick and Partners in West Bowling, said that although the surgery had the prefix, phone calls still cost the same as a local call – but some mobile phone packages would make calls more expensive.

“The phone system is useful because it allows patients to get through to where they need to – for example, appointments or pathology,” she added.

According to Ofcom, calls to 0844 numbers are charged between 1p and 13p per minute for landline customers and calls from mobile phones can cost between 15p and 41p per minute, depending on the provider and the number called.

A spokesman for the NHS England said it encouraged GP practices to ensure their contact numbers were in the ‘best interests of patients’ through geographic charges.