NHS Direct diverts patients from GP and A&E

NHS Direct has published research showing that four out of ten callers are advised to self-care and that three quarters of them would otherwise have gone to their GP or A&E.

The evaluation by IFF Research, which is plainly intended to address claims that NHS Direct duplicates or even adds to the work of other services, shows that 41% of callers were advised to care for themselves at home.

The study of 4,554 calls made over a two week period in February and March this year also shows that 44% of those who were advised to self care would otherwise have sought help from their GP, while 29% would have gone to A&E.

“The figures quite clearly show that NHS Direct is helping to take the pressure off GP surgeries and A&E,” said NHS Direct chief executive Matt Tee. “It is also clear that the public like the service they get. Out patient satisfaction ratings are very high compared to almost any health, call centre or online service.”

NHS Direct is applying to be a Foundation Trust. It currently receives about £150m a year to run its telephone service, website and digital TV platform. Its core telephone service receives around 22,000 calls a day.

IFF Research also carried out 35 in-depth interviews with healthcare providers, to underpin further work by NHS Direct and its academic partners. These found that although there was “a good degree of positive feeling” towards the NHS Direct service, “a number [of providers] felt there is still a tendency for [it] to err on the side of caution.”

The interviews also found that healthcare providers felt its referral system could be further improved. Tee said NHS Direct would now be looking at how to address both issues, and that it consider providing more referral documentation.

The caller interviews showed that the main reason that people telephoned NHS Direct was because they had a new health concern, such as an illness or injury. This accounted for 65% of callers, while 22% wanted general information and 12% had an existing condition that was worsening.

It also showed slight variations in the advice given to callers in different regions. The percentage of callers advised to treat themselves at home ranged from 43% in three regions to 36% in the Yorkshire and the Humber region.