A SOUTHAMPTON surgery has become one of the first GP practices in the south to hit its patients with increased charges for making an appointment.

The Victor Street Surgery in Shirley, pictured above, has come under fire for the move, which has left patients holding on in a queue system without realising the cost of the call.

The surgery is defending the move, suggesting it will mean a better service for patients. However, patients and consumer groups have hit back, saying it is costing the sick to make an appointment.

Angry patients have bombarded the practice with complaints after realising the recently introduced 0870 number was costing them more than the price of a local call. The new automated system, which gives patients a choice of eight touch-tone options, also means callers are placed in a queue until their call is answered.

Each call to the surgery now costs an extra 2p to 3p a minute, which patients say quickly mounts up when you are on hold. Patients today branded the change underhand and potentially expensive, as well as confusing for elderly people.

Diabetic and partially sighted Joyce Meredith, 70, of Arnheim Road, Shirley, who has been on the surgery's books since 1968, said: "My friend has used the new system and was on the phone ages.

"It worries me as I won't be able to afford it with everything else going up. I think I will have to go to the surgery to make my appointments instead. The worst thing is, they never told us it was going to change."

Another patient said: "This appears to be a blatant way of making extra revenue for the surgery - at the cost of the patients."

A Southampton woman whose elderly aunt is a patient at the surgery added: "This new system is absolutely appalling, particularly as none of the patients knew it was happening."

The introduction of a national rate number was also condemned by the Patients' Association, a charity which represents patients' rights.

Spokesman Katherine Murphy said: "We have been contacted about several surgeries around the country swapping to national rate lines. It means patients can quite easily be holding on for ten minutes or more without realising they are not ringing a cheap rate number.

"People are concerned about these systems being costly and difficult to use, particularly for elderly people who are used to ringing a local number."

Bosses at The Victor Street Surgery hit back at the complaints and insisted the new system had been brought in to make life easier for patients.

Managers said the surgery had been taking part in a national initiative, which had increased the number of appointments offered to patients.

Currently, 1,455 appointments were available a week but this in turn meant the old phone system could not cope with the increase in calls, with many patients either getting a continual engaged tone or being cut off.

Andy Lopez, practice manager, said: "After much consultation and debate, we chose the system we have recently installed. The reason we have decided to do this was to allow extra lines to be added as well as allowing easier access to specific functions - for example, appointments, emergencies and home visits.

"It will also allow patients to choose different options so that they can be put through to the correct staff without having to tie up a line at reception."

Apologising for any disruption and anguish caused, he admitted: "Unfortunately, the transition has not gone smoothly. However, I have been in constant communication with the supplier and together we have worked through a number of the problems and are currently awaiting a final resolution to the outstanding problems."

Mr Lopez stressed the new phone number was charged at a national rate, not a premium rate, with the average cost at 4.3p per minute - an increase of between 2p and 3p per minute.

He said the maximum cost from a standard land line would be 6.7p per minute. He added that the slightly higher charge provided the phone company with its profit margin and, depending on the number of calls received, provided a refund to the practice on a monthly basis to offset the rental charge. The surgery is sending letters to all of its 13,985 patients about the new system, which was introduced on August 5.

Mr Lopez said the proposed change had been advertised on posters at the surgery for six to eight weeks before its introduction, as well as on an electronic appointment board.