Staff celebrate 10 years service with NHS Direct
30 Sep 2010
350 members of staff from NHS Direct are celebrating 10 years of service to patients.
Staff were brought together with colleagues from contact centres in the surrounding area to mark the occasion and receive thanks for their long service.
Staff reminisced about how things have changed in 10 years. Back in 2000 the average number of calls dealt with a day was around 8,000. In comparison, NHS Direct handled around 27,000 calls a day last year. This includes calls to its helpline (0845 46 47) and commissioned services delivered by NHS Direct locally and nationally. Long serving staff have seen a number of advances in technology, as most of the work 10 years ago was done on paper, which has now been replaced by computers. Staff have provided health information and advice through a number of major health events including foot and mouth disease, SARS virus, bird flu, swine flu, and the polonium incident in London.
Debbie Peers is a Clinical Team Leader at the Nantwich contact centre, she says:
“Joining NHS Direct in 2000 was my own personal millennium revolution. The promise of a dynamic career change was too tempting to ignore. New century, new service, new aspirations, new journey. There have been highs, occasional lows, but every step has been exciting and challenging. There have been changes to the service since its inauguration, but every challenge has been met head on by the dedicated, committed and caring team of staff at NHS Direct. It is my privilege to be part of that team.”
Hazel Sinton is a Nurse Advisor and works at the Stockton contact centre, she says:
“Over the last 10 years it has been fascinating to see how the service has developed and grown. When we started there were very few calls, however, word soon spread and our call volumes increased dramatically. The day I got a message saying that a student, who I sent to hospital via an emergency ambulance, actually had meningitis and could have died was the most satisfying moment in my career to date and was proof that we do provide a valuable, worthwhile service.”
Monique Cox is a Health Advisor and works at the Beckenham contact centre, she says:
“I have been privileged to be a health advisor with NHS Direct for the past 11 years, where I have worked with some wonderfully dedicated people. We provide reassurance and advice to patients 24 hours a day, and our service is especially valuable to parents with young children and more vulnerable members of our community. I look forward to celebrating another ten years with NHS Direct.”
Nick Chapman, Chief Executive of NHS Direct, says:
“I would like to offer my congratulations to all our long serving members of staff, and also say thank you for their continuing hard work and commitment. Over a constantly changing 10 years, we have always managed to deliver an effective, safe and reliable service which is popular with patients. This would not be possible if it wasn’t for the dedication and experience of our staff.”
