Topic: Government Planning To Axe NHS Direct

[patrickc]

The Coalition Government's Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has announced that NHS Direct - the 24 telephone advice line staffed by nurses - is to be scrapped for a cheaper altenative.

According to the Guardian;

"While touring Basingstoke and North Hampshire hospital on Thursday, he revealed that the phone service – which this year cost £123m to run – is to be axed."

It's set to be replaced by a cheaper alternative with less medically-trained staff.

NHS Direct answers 9.5 million calls a year and provides a crucial and potentionally life-saving service to those in need, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said that any petition reaching 100,000 signatures would guarantee a Commons debate on the matter.

So we're calling on the Coalition to think again and Save NHS Direct for the good of the nation.

You can help us by:

1) Signing the petition at http://www.facebook.com/l/f4c65ODPyTLr213vJpVSo-KGo5A;www.savenhsdirect.co.uk

 

[johnsouthwales]

how long has it been running?

There has been wide media coverage that NHS direct is being replaced by the new 111 number with allegations that this is a cost cutting exercise.

Responding, a Department of Health spokesperson said:

"The announcement to introduce a new easy to remember 111 number was not 'slipped out', it was announced by the Health Secretary on Monday 23 August.

"NHS 111 telephone number will eventually replace NHS Direct when it is rolled out nationally and will provide a single point of access for all urgent care services - this has never been available before but makes real sense. At any time of day, whether at home, work or visiting a different area, for the first time there will be one number to put patients in touch with the right NHS services; whether this involves providing health advice, making an appointment with a GP, or providing information about out of hours services.

"This is not a cost cutting exercise, but is about providing a better service to patients. We want to put an end to the confusion over what services are available when and where, and provide people with two simple numbers: 999 for emergencies, 111 for everything else."

[Al]

What will be the difference between the service available to me via "NHS Direct" and "111"? From what I have heard it'll be the same to the end user.

[Debs]

one easy number all over the country is so  much better i think. when youre upset or worried about illness's its terrible trying to find the long number easily. not everyone puts that number in the fornt of their book. it was the same when our local surgery changed numbers to the 0845 one... so much longer and hard to remember
so long as there is someone on the other end of the phone who knows what they are talking about then i dont care who runs it so long as its reliable easy and helps people when they need it the most. i had used the nhs direct on a number of occasions and they were very good especially when  my grand daughter had a very high temp and had a small fit .

will "less medically trained staff" compromise the service we get??

[johnsouthwales]

of course less trained staff will compromise things.

then again, nhsdirect had its problems, even small ones

[johnsouthwales]

i remember when i phoned nhs direct a while back.  some fumes were coming into the house because the workmen left chemicals outside the living room window. they asked me to read out to them what the container says... well, i said i ain't going near that stuff..

anyway, i managed to get the info.. i said on the phone what it was, and they said they don't know what it is, so they couldn't say what to do next.

so i said, forget it..

ambulance was called later on cos my mum went will. what a way to treat 79 year old, leaving chemicals and equipment there like that hidden behind wood panel.  the council wouldnt pick them up cos they said they cannot touch it cos its on private property.. oh thats ok then, we'll all choke then.

funny how things were covered up during the complaints investigations

[Debs]

funny how things were covered up during the complaints investigations

 youre not kidding there            i know that from personal experiance too     

any "body, firm, nhs , business " will always cover up things during complaints investigations

[wanderlust]

I don't know why people are bemoaning the loss of NHS Direct.  Always seemed to be staffed by a bunch of call centre muppets with a script, sharing a nurse. Don't matter what you call about you get asked the same questions.

I think my daughter might have broken her foot. "Has she got a sore throat?" No it's her foot. "Has she got a headache?"

A complete waste of time & money.

[johnsouthwales]

funny how things were covered up during the complaints investigations

 youre not kidding there            i know that from personal experiance too     

any "body, firm, nhs , business " will always cover up things during complaints investigations

i asked the head of public protection from the coiunty council, what exactly are you going to investigate? which parts? council replied "all of it".. when i received the response a few weeks later, i could tell straight away they didn't investigate it all.


what still baffles me is, one councul employee admits talking to me on the phone bt the public protection dismissed it as there was no evidence to of a call... ie, no called logged when they answered

[johnsouthwales]

ombudsman was contacted straight away.. even they couldn't sort out the problems.. they had actually said the county council had done nothing wrong, as all the evidence demonstrated to be the opposite. malpractices.

county council actually do protect rogue traders and i have got the evidence for 3 years.  even a newspaper couldn't touch the story. or wouldn't touch it in reality as they could put themselves in a postion of being sued for libel themselves, even though everything suggests otherwise.

they are all the same. it's the establishment, and all laws are designed to protect the establishment and it's reputation

[johnsouthwales]

people who work in nhs direct are working people.  it's true they are working from scripts but they are trained higher than that. i cannot see a full time doctor working 8 hour shift on the phone for £12 an hour.

i thought they were going to do the 111 number back in the 90s