£213 million of efficiency savings generated for the NHS in 2009/10
In 2009/10, NHS Direct generated £213 million of efficiency savings for the NHS, by directing patients to more appropriate care services (including self-care). Through the use of our telephone and online services, over 4 million visits to healthcare professionals were avoided, including 1.5 million A&E attendances and over 1.8 million GP appointments.
In the May 2010 issue of NewsDirect, we described the model we have developed to quantify the value NHS Direct delivers to the wider health economy i.e. efficiency savings generated, number of visits to healthcare professionals avoided etc. The model generates information at national, SHA and PCT level and has been validated by our commissioner, the East of England SHA.
To calculate the outcomes, we undertake regular surveys of our callers, asking them what action they would have taken if the NHS Direct service hadn’t been available to them. This is then compared to the advice we gave those callers and whether they followed that advice. In a significant number of cases, it is clear that NHS Direct points callers to a more appropriate and lower cost intervention e.g. self-care advice where the caller may have visited their GP, or to their GP where the caller may have visited A&E. Using tariff data we can quantify the financial impact of our intervention.
The following two diagrams show, at PCT level, the efficiency savings generated by NHS Direct and, at SHA level, the visits to healthcare professionals avoided.
Efficiency savings generated by NHS Direct for each PCT in 2009/2010
To find out more about the value NHS Direct adds to the NHS in your area and to explore how we can work together to maximise the potential of the data we have available, please contact your Regional Director.
There is a full presentation of the value model available. If you would like to request a copy, please contact lisa.potter@nhsdirect.nhs.uk or tel: 0207 599 4223.
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To discuss how we can tailor make our services to your requirements, why not get in touch with our regional director in your area?
