NHS Direct's response to longer call back times
23 Dec 2010
Nick Chapman, NHS Direct Chief Executive, said:
"We apologise if people have had to wait longer than expected to receive a call back from us at this busy time. Like the rest of the NHS, NHS Direct is extremely busy at this time of year, and last weekend the telephone service received 50 per cent more calls than forecast. The excessively cold weather creates demand for health care generally, and in particular for telephone services that you do not need to leave the house to access.
"We operate a robust system of assessing patients when they initially contact the service. If a patient is assessed as needing an ambulance we will arrange for this immediately. We will also direct patients immediately to their GP if it's clear that it is more appropriate for them to speak to their GP rather than a nurse. Other calls are prioritised depending on their urgency with the most urgent calls either transferred directly to a nurse or dealt with in less than 20 minutes. Last week 99 per cent of the most urgent calls (priority one calls) were dealt with in 20 minutes. Patients calling with non-urgent problems may have to be called back at a later time. If a call-back is required, we will tell the caller how long they have to wait and advise them on what to do if symptoms get worse.
"We are taking a number of actions to address and improve the service at this busy time, which include increasing the number of permanent and temporary staff and providing more opportunities for staff to work from home for short periods at our busiest times.
"As an alternative to the telephone service, NHS Direct has a wide range of online health and symptom checkers available at www.nhs.uk/nhsdirect including ones specifically designed for colds and flu and diarrhoea and vomiting. By using these tools, patients can access immediate self-care advice or be directed to the most appropriate health service. If further advice is required patients can arrange for a call-back from a nurse advisor."
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