Since its launch on 1 April 2009, West Yorkshire Urgent Care Services has provided advice, support and treatment to over 336,000 people living in West Yorkshire.
Callers to the service are assessed and advised over the telephone by either a nurse or GP and, if necessary, a face to face appointment or home visit is then arranged. NHS Direct provide the telephone or ‘access and assess’ side of the service with the treatment element provided by Care UK and Local Care Direct.
Recent independent surveys carried out by both IFF Research and Swift Research show the overall caller experience to be positive with a composite satisfaction rate of over 90% (IFF). This takes into account all aspects of the service from initial telephone contact to face to face contact with the treatment provider.
Key positive comments were in relation to the speed of the service, the reassurance it offers and the fact that an appointment can either be arranged or people are ‘pointed in the right direction’. Call handlers, including health advisors, nurses and GPs, were described as being helpful, friendly and sympathetic (Swift Research).
West Yorkshire Urgent Care Services is commissioned by Wakefield District, Kirklees, Leeds, Calderdale and Bradford and Airedale PCTs and covers a population of over 2.1 million.
