Our response to urgent and emergency care report
25 Sep 2009
NHS Direct has issued a response to acknowledge a report published by the Healthcare Commission (HCC) regarding urgent and emergency care.
The recently published HCC report is called ‘Not just a matter of time – a review of urgent and emergency care services in England.’
The report stated that NHS Direct ‘already delivers an important element of urgent and emergency care.’
Performance praised
The report praised NHS Direct’s operational performance and said NHS Direct were ‘well above the 95% target agreed with the Department of Health.’
NHS Direct reached levels of 98% for priority 1 calls and 99% for priority 2 calls during the data collection period.
The report mentioned that the proportion of NHS Direct calls closed, without referring a patient on to another service, was between 40% and 60%.
"Value for money"
This figure corresponds with NHS Direct’s own performance figures from August 2008, which showed that 50% of callers were advised to self-care at home.
NHS Direct chief executive, Matt Tee, welcomed the recommendations set out in the report and said:
“I believe the suggested improvements will deliver a more joined up and customer focussed urgent care service, offering value for money and improved quality.”
Commenting on the planned pilot schemes for a single telephone number for urgent care, Matt Tee also said: “No other provider in England could equal the capability, safety and connectivity already in place with NHS Direct. A service which today can deliver the vision of a single point of contact for non emergency health needs.”
Related Links
Urgent care services
NHS Direct offer many services that support the NHS's overall urgent care services
