In the last edition of Together, we told you about the phenomenal demand for NHS Direct’s service during the first wave of the swine flu outbreak. Now it’s the turn of one our nurse advisors, Baljit Watson from our Newcastle contact centre, to explain what it was like on the other end of the phone.
“There was a huge increase in calls. There was so much about swine flu in the newspapers and on television, and people were calling us with genuine concerns. Although it was a stressful time, it wasn’t so much that we felt under pressure, more that we recognised many of the patients who were calling in were really anxious.
“It was our job, not just to advise and inform, but where necessary to allay their fears, to take the pressure off the public. When you take away that anxiety you can actually hear the relief in their voices. So many times, as I went through the assessment, I could hear a caller’s voice slowing down, relaxing, as they began to understand.”
In response to the increased spread of swine flu within England, the government made the decision to launch the National Pandemic Flu Service (NPFS), and it went live on 23 July. The NPFS is a development of the original Flu Line, which the Department of Health asked NHS Direct to develop, run and manage in 2007, to respond to any future flu pandemics.
The NPFS enables people who believe that they may have swine flu to check their symptoms. The questions are based on the best clinical evidence available about swine flu. Anyone can undertake the assessment themselves on the website (www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu), or call the phone service (0800 1 513 100). If the answers to the questions show that it is likely that they do have swine flu, they will be given an authorisation number for a family member or friend to collect anti-viral medication (Tamiflu or Relenza) for them. This service is unique to England, although Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can choose to opt into the service should they need to in the future.
In its first month, over a million assessments were completed, over 700,000 authorisation numbers were issued, and over 400,000 anti-virals collected. At the time of writing, the number of swine flu cases has started to decrease, but it is expected that autumn and winter will see an increase in cases, as well as the seasonal flu that occurs each year. The NPFS takes the pressure off the rest of the NHS, and frees up GPs and ambulance services to respond to patients who urgently need face to face treatment.
