NHS Direct to be axed

OvalteenieOvalteenie Posts: 24,169
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the Tories are scrapping it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/aug/27/nhs-direct-health-phone-service

not sure how useful it was anyway..
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  • nethwennethwen Posts: 23,374
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    Ovalteenie wrote: »
    the Tories are scrapping it.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/aug/27/nhs-direct-health-phone-service

    not sure how useful it was anyway..

    There'll be nothing left by the time this coalition government is over. :(

    I only used NHS Direct on one occasion and they were very helpful to my questions and predicament. They even sent me some information through the post the next day.
  • stesupforitstesupforit Posts: 4,431
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    Used NHS Direct a few times. Always very helpful. Scrapping it will surely just put extra pressure on A&E depts and GPs.
  • OvalteenieOvalteenie Posts: 24,169
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    Sounds like a cost cutting exercise.

    The replacement service will not have trained clinical advisors, sounds like more of an information line than an actual helpline.
  • OvalteenieOvalteenie Posts: 24,169
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    Used NHS Direct a few times. Always very helpful. Scrapping it will surely just put extra pressure on A&E depts and GPs.

    The idea was that NHS Direct/24 would ease the burden on GPs and hospital A&E. A lot of the GPs gave up on call, instead you get put through to NHS Direct. Wonder what will happen to out of hours service provision now?
  • WombatDeathWombatDeath Posts: 4,723
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    I'm kind of surprised that it's not mainly automated; the last couple of times I've needed to see a doctor (one harmless lump and one spectacular and potentially significant rash) they both typed my symptoms into google.
  • Mumof3Mumof3 Posts: 4,529
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    I found NHS Direct utterly useless. Too many caveats, and "see your Dr" cop outs.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,285
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    Used NHS Direct a few times. Always very helpful. Scrapping it will surely just put extra pressure on A&E depts and GPs.

    I agree, it was a very helpful service and must have taken pressure off other services. At weekends especially.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,725
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    I've used them a few times in the past, got a quick response but each time it was a case of we'll take your details and have someone call you back, it seemed the operators were just receptionists.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 483
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    NHS Direct was always useless the times we used it. Won't be sorry to see it gone.

    No wonder locally it only caused more strain on the A&E, though not helped by Dss surgeries not taking evening / night-time patients / coming out to visit and expecting you to travel to some useless out-of hours place, so people went to A&E instead.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,915
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    It's being replaced with "NHS 111". There's no reason a national telephone-based service should be any less effective than a local one; they could outsource the whole thing to India and it wouldn't make any difference. As we import many medical staff from India anyway, outsourcing NHS Direct could even take some pressure off the immigration cap.
  • StudmuffinStudmuffin Posts: 4,377
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    Mumof3 wrote: »
    I found NHS Direct utterly useless. Too many caveats, and "see your Dr" cop outs.

    This is all I ever got from them. Bloody useless whenever I've rung them.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 5,239
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    I have always found them useless. I have tried them on several occassions and have always been told to phone an ambulance or attend a+e, when they were clearly not symptoms that really warranted that, else that is what I would be doing, not sitting on hold to get their confirmation that is the best idea. Once they told me to phone an ambulance because my chest was wheezy and I was shallow breathing. All I wanted to know was whether there was anything that would help me sleep through the wheezy tickle, I had a chest infection, which I told them. They still suggested an ambulance.
  • d'@ved'@ve Posts: 45,453
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    Mumof3 wrote: »
    I found NHS Direct utterly useless. Too many caveats, and "see your Dr" cop outs.
    Studmuffin wrote: »
    This is all I ever got from them. Bloody useless whenever I've rung them.

    On the two occasions I've used them, they were excellent and helped to give me confidence that what I was proposing to do would be safe and effective - saved me a trip to accident & emergency too.

    Bad move by the Tories, bad move. The fact that the Liberals haven't managed to stop it takes them down a big notch in my estimation too. The way they are going, being rolled over by the Tories, they won't be getting any tactical votes from me any time soon.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,497
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    lou-kate wrote: »
    I have always found them useless. I have tried them on several occassions and have always been told to phone an ambulance or attend a+e, when they were clearly not symptoms that really warranted that, else that is what I would be doing, not sitting on hold to get their confirmation that is the best idea. Once they told me to phone an ambulance because my chest was wheezy and I was shallow breathing. All I wanted to know was whether there was anything that would help me sleep through the wheezy tickle, I had a chest infection, which I told them. They still suggested an ambulance.

    Yes, Hindsight is a wonderful thing, fortunately.

    This is not deficit reduction here , but the Conservative Government dismantling anything set up post 1997, bitter much?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 5,239
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    Obadia wrote: »
    Yes, Hindsight is a wonderful thing, fortunately.

    This is not deficit reduction here , but the Conservative Government dismantling anything set up post 1997, bitter much?

    What do you mean? That it is only with hindsight I realised I didn't need an ambulance? I can assure you I didn't need hindsight to know that I didn't need an ambulance for a chest infection. The other time they suggested a+e was for a cluster migraine. Again, not much a+e could have done for that, I wanted advise on over the counter pills for it.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,047
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    The few times I have called them (for my baby daughter)they only repeated back generic info I already knew - and said if the symptoms persisted to take her to the GP in the morning, I didnt find them particularly helpful tbh.
  • LadyCakeLadyCake Posts: 3,126
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    I used it a couple of years ago and it was crap. I also had to use the out of hours doctors service and although I proscribed something , the man was in such a hurry that he put the phone down quickly and had to call back.
    It's time such services were cut and better access to clinics and hospitals put in place instead.
  • wayne71wayne71 Posts: 219
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    I rang them a few months ago, it was about 3am, I told them that my left arm and left leg was numb and that i was unable to walk or use my arm. I was told the symptoms I had sounded like a trapped nerve in my back and to go to bed and ring GP first thing in morning.

    I never slept all night and rang GP first thing, he sent an ambulance straight away for me as he thought I had had a stroke.

    Turned out he was quite right too, whilst in hospital a doctor advised me never to ring NHS Direct in an emergency :confused:
  • B3atenB3aten Posts: 4,108
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    Everything is getting cut under the current govt. I currently work with the Civil Service and everything is getting cut back.

    I thought that NHS Direct was supposed to take the burden off surgeries and prevent unnecessary doctors appointments? But I presume that the ConDems know what they are doing. They have also pulled funding for an organisation called Becta which promotes the use of IT in schools and gives guidance for IT access for children with special needs which is due to close now later this year.

    This government is a total joke, and that's from a lifelong Tory supporter.
  • d'@ved'@ve Posts: 45,453
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    wayne71 wrote: »
    Turned out he was quite right too, whilst in hospital a doctor advised me never to ring NHS Direct in an emergency :confused:
    Well no, that's what 999 is for.

    The problem is, how do you know it's an emergency? I'd have thought that being unable to walk and unable to use your left arm was an emergency (but that doesn't excuse the duff info you were given)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,631
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    onefineday wrote: »
    It's being replaced with "NHS 111".
    Where you simply dial 111, which is surely a vast improvement on the current system.

    I hope they do the same here in Scotland (replace NHS24 with NHS 111)
  • tenofspadestenofspades Posts: 12,870
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    What is different about NHS 111- is this just to say the number is changing?
  • CalphurniaCalphurnia Posts: 891
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    I've never found them helpful. I phoned once for advice about something but all I got was "give me your details and number and somebody will call you back." I didn't want a call back, nor did I want to be giving out my details. I just wanted information. Never bothered with the service since.
  • c4rvc4rv Posts: 29,539
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    Used it a few times and found them to be resonably useful. Twice booked appointments at local hospital saving waiting time.

    Yes they take your details and call you back but if it is an emergancy you should heading to A & E.

    Lot of the advise is available on the website.
  • tysonstormtysonstorm Posts: 24,609
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    Used them a few times only to end up being told to go to my nearest walk-in centre or to go to A&E, which I was going to do anyway but thought NHS direct would advise me better, I would of been better off both financially and in the interests of time going with my own judgement.

    So it won't be missed by me.
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