Statement from Nick Chapman, Chief Executive, in response to press reports about site closures
09 Nov 2012
There have been reports in the press today regarding the closure of a number of NHS Direct sites. Nick Chapman, NHS Direct Chief Executive, has issued the following response:
“Press reports today that suggest NHS Direct has announced that it is closing a large number of sites are incorrect. We have not confirmed that any sites are closing. At this stage we have confirmed which sites we will be keeping open to deliver NHS 111 in the areas where we have been commissioned to provide the service.
The sites are:
- Middlebrook
- Carlisle
- Dudley
- Exeter
- Milton Keynes
- London
Home working will be an option for some of our nurses as an alternative to working from a site.
Unison’s fears that 50% of front line staff will lose their jobs are also unfounded. The Department of Health has agreed that NHS Direct’s front line staff will be offered the opportunity to move into a job providing the new 111 service with other providers (Ambulance Trusts and GP Out-of-Hours organisations) where NHS Direct is not the chosen provider of the 111 service in an area.
The future of other NHS Direct sites has not been decided. We are in discussion with the Department of Health and the NHS Commissioning Board about the future of other non-111 services that we could be asked to deliver before making decisions.”
Additional notes:
A full list of sites can be found here
All sites that we haven’t yet made a decision about will stay open until the end of June 2013 except for where the landlord has given us notice or where all staff have been transferred out of the site.
NHS Direct will be the largest provider of NHS 111 services. NHS Direct has now been selected as the preferred provider of NHS 111 for 34% of England’s population:
| Sutton & Merton | 0.7% |
| Somerset | 1.0% |
| Cornwall & Isles of Scilly | 1.0% |
| North Essex | 1.8% |
| South East London | 3.0% |
| West Midlands | 10.4% |
| North West – Cumbria & Lancashire | 3.8% |
| North West - Merseyside & Cheshire | 4.6% |
| North West - Greater Manchester | 5.1% |
| Buckinghamshire | 1.0% |
| East London & the City | 1.3% |
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