NHS Direct

NHS Direct - the next five years

At its April 2011 meeting, the NHS Direct Board approved its business plan for the next five years, outlining an ambitious vision and strategy to compete to deliver remote and virtual healthcare in the new NHS landscape.

This has been shaped by feedback from stakeholders (our staff, members and representatives across the national and local NHS and other public sector organisations), to identify the specific areas where we will target our resources and expertise to provide the maximum benefit to patients and the NHS.

The period of the five year business plan will see radical changes to NHS Direct’s core business. We will shift from delivering the 0845 4647 health advice and information line, to being a competitive provider of the new, nationally specified but locally commissioned NHS 111 service. Our proven track record of providing safe and effective remotely delivered services with high levels of patient satisfaction, delivered by highly skilled staff, using robust clinical governance procedures and built on our resilient infrastructure, will enable us to be a strong competitor and partner.

Expansion of services

We also intend to offer a range of additional services to meet local commissioners’ needs through local enhancements to the local NHS 111 service, expansion of services to support the management of long-term conditions through telehealth and services that support patient choice such as online patient decision aids that help patients make informed decisions about their treatment.

All of these services will be offered through a range of channels such as mobile and web to complement the telephone service. At over seven million contacts, we expect the use of web-based services to outnumber calls to 0845 4647, in line with the changing behaviour of the public and their desire for more convenient ways to access healthcare. This was most recently demonstrated through the launch of our free "app" on iPhone and Android making it the most downloaded free app within four days.

Delivery model for NHS 111

We recognise that the five year direction outlined in our business plan will require us to make very significant changes to our services and operations. To achieve this we will create a delivery model for high quality and cost-competitive NHS 111 and other services. And, we will work towards achieving NHS Foundation Trust status from April 2013.

Nick Chapman, NHS Direct Chief Executive, said:

“Remotely delivered, clinical services help manage the pressures on stretched primary and secondary healthcare, by reducing avoidable demand on face-to-face services and by steering people to the right healthcare at the right time. They support patients to take more control and exercise greater choice over their health, and how they access care. This includes online services which, for the growing numbers of people who already turn first to the internet for everyday needs, provide a more convenient and responsive service”.

View the Business Plan 2011-16.