GP surgery has phone number mixed up with massage parlour

‘We are NOT a Sauna Club,’ says medical practice

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A GP practice has confused patients due to an error in its phone system that meant some people saw its calls as coming from a massage parlour in Rochdale.

Aspen Medical Practice in Gloucester tweeted about the mishap, explaining that people are ignoring important medical calls because they see them as coming from a “sauna club”.

“Its HOT!” the practice tweeted on Wednesday.

“In fact, it’s hotter than a sauna club in Rochdale.

“Incidentally, if you get a telephone phone call from ‘Liaison Sauna Club’, PLEASE ANSWER because it’s Aspen Medcal Practice trying to call you [sic]”.

The GP practice did not specify what caused the mix-up, or if “Liason Sauna Club” is in fact a real place, but described it in a subsequent tweet as a “persistent error”.

It is thought that some mobile phones are using an outdated database to match numbers to businesses, which could have resulted in the error.

“If you live in Gloucester, and that caller ID appears, it’s probably one of our clinicians calling you, and not someone at a Sauna in Rochdale.” the medical practice added.

“It’s a long story. Just trust us in this one. We are NOT a Sauna Club,” they added.

Kate Bevan, of consumer group Which?, told the BBC that the incident “would be worrying if people were missing important appointments”.

“People are rightly wary of calls popping up with the names of businesses they haven’t heard of,” she added.

“If you receive a call from a suspicious caller ID, it’s best to hang up.

“If you’re waiting to hear about something important such as a doctor’s appointment, it’s best to contact them yourself using their legitimate phone number.”

Many people responded to the medical practice’s tweet by poking fun at the prospect of receiving calls from a sauna club, a name that can refer to to a strip club or brothel.

“I’m waiting on a call from the sauna. Will it show up as Aspen Medical Practice?” one person teased.

Another added: “This could get some husbands/wives in trouble when they look at the caller ID.”

When asked by one person if the phone error has caused any misunderstandings, the practice replied: “Other than causing periodic embarrassment and few laughs at our expense, it might explain why it feels that a lot of our calls go unanswered by patients who’ve asked us to call them.

“This does cost us time, which is not welcome at a time of considerable demand pressure!”

When approached by The Independent, Aspen Medical Practice declined to comment on the matter.