NHS Direct – a telephone helpline for England and Wales

Abstract

NHS Direct is a nurse-led telephone helpline covering England and Wales. The intention to develop this helpline was announced in December 1997 in a White Paper, The New NHS, Modern and Dependable (Department of Health, 1997), following recommendations in the Chief Medical Officers' report, Developing Emergency Services in the Community (Caiman, 1997). Three initial pilot sites were set up in Lancashire, Milton Keynes and Northumbria and began taking calls in March 1998. The project was extended in April 1999 to cover 40% of the population of England and by November 2000 was available throughout the whole of England and Wales. NHS Direct provides 24-hour advice and information via 22 call centres and is the largest telephone health care service in the world. A similar system is planned in Scotland, NHS 24.

Changing Patterns of Human Campylobacteriosis, England and Wales, 1990–2007

“…This finding led to the hypothesis that the introduction and increased utilization of the National Health Service’s NHS Direct (a 24-hour telephone, online, and interactive digital TV service, which provided health advice and information) at this time had a “triage effect” on those seeking care for children in this age group. The 2 events are correlated in time (initial NHS Direct pilot sites began taking calls in March 1998; by April 1999, 40% of the population of England had access, and by November 2000, the service was available throughout England and Wales [ 6 ]), NHS Direct has had a demonstrable negative effect on the use of general practice ( 7 ), and infants and young children are overrepresented among calls to NHS Direct about gastrointestinal conditions ( 8 ). The second Infectious Intestinal Disease study in England, currently under way ( 9 ), will provide further information upon which to assess this hypothesis, which is not readily testable by using laboratory data.…”