Good riddance to 084 surgery phone lines

Couldn't agree more. Using 084 numbers (practice receives 2p per minute for every call received) to offset the capital cost of a new switchboard was always going to result in angry patients.

Interestingly, many businesses are offering 0800 non-geographic numbers because research shows that it drives 40% more enquiries. Not something that practices necessarily want, but public perceptions are changing. Competition amongst telecoms providers is fierce and it should be quite easy to offset the upgrade of a new phone sytem by switching to a new provider. But avoid locking into a lengthy contract. The best deals offer competitive prices with no lock-in.