Patients Association launches new free helpline number

17 Sep 2019 10:11 AM

Calls to the Patients Association’s national helpline are now free of charge in the UK.

The Association launched the new 0800 freephone number in a bid to make it possible for more people who need advice and support to access the service.

While the support and advice provided by our helpline advisers has always been free of charge, callers often paid local call charges from a landline for their calls, with mobile users often facing much higher charges.

With the introduction of this new freephone number, people across the country can speak to a helpline adviser for free.

Callers can dial 0800 345 7115 from any landline or mobile phone and speak to a helpline adviser without being charged for their call. 

The Patients Association helps thousands of people each year through its helpline, with most people getting in touch with concerns about poor care. Lack of access to health services and poor communication from GPs and doctors are other common reasons for people getting in touch, with an increasing number of people also requesting information on how to access their medical records.

96 per cent of people contacting the helpline would recommend the free service to their friends and family members.

Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association, said:

“We’re delighted to be launching this new number, which is the fulfilment of a long-held goal. It has been an aspiration for the Patients Association to provide a free helpline number for some time, so to be launching this number represents a really positive step in improving access to our advice and support service.

“Patients really value our helpline service but we have heard instances where people have asked us to call them back because they can’t afford the local charges. We’ve listened to people’s feedback and are pleased to be bringing our service to people across the country for free.”

The Patients Association helpline can still be contacted on 020 8423 8999, or you can email helpline@patients-association.com. You can also contact our helpline team on Live Chat on weekdays between 2pm and 5pm.