NHS Direct is currently delivering a national telephone helpline, the NHS Stressline, on behalf of the Department of Health, providing practical and emotional support for people who are worried about debt, housing and employment problems.
In March 2010, NHS Direct Health Advisors working on the NHS Stressline undertook an outbound calling pilot, aimed at patients in Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust who are on a psychological treatments waiting list. Our staff carried out a baseline assessment of patients’ symptoms for the Trust, which enabled them to speed up the referral process to psychological therapies.
The questionnaire evaluated the patient’s place on the waiting list, checked whether it was still appropriate, referred those callers who required more urgent care to qualified NHS Direct Nurse Advisors, and offered first level self help guidance where appropriate. At the end of the assessment process, patients were given the name and contact details for their allocated case manager at Kent and Medway and their responses were returned to the Trust for clinical validation and to inform the allocation of their treatment.
A number of benefits have been identified from the pilot including:
Nikki Oatham, Trust Lead for Psychological Services at Kent and Medway said, “We have received some fabulous patient feedback about the service that NHS Direct made possible and offered. We can’t thank you enough”.
Following the success of the pilot, the service will now be developed and Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services from across England will be working with NHS Direct to undertake similar exercises, leading to faster appropriate treatment for those in need.
