NHS Direct helps take pressure off GPs and A&E

NHS Direct is helping take the pressure off GP surgeries and A&E as it increasingly continues to advise callers to treat themselves at home. According to new independent research published today, nearly half of the callers advised by NHS Direct to self care would otherwise have gone to their GP and over a quarter would have gone to A&E.

The independent evaluation of calls to the service1, carried out by London-based IFF Research, shows that a high proportion of callers (41%) were advised by NHS Direct to treat themselves at home and in comparison NHS Direct referred 11% to A&E, 28% to a GP (10% for urgent appointments), 5% to walk-in centres, 4% to a dentist and 3% to a pharmacist. In 2007 NHS Direct’s core telephone service took 5 million calls.

The research also found that nearly three quarters of callers (73%) would either have gone to their GP or attended A&E if they had not been able to phone NHS Direct. Of the 73%, 44% (over two in five) stated they would have sought help from their GP and 29% (three in 10) said they would have gone to A&E.

“These figures quite clearly show that NHS Direct is helping take the pressure off GP surgeries and A&E and what is particularly significant is how many of the callers advised to treat themselves at home would have otherwise gone to doctors’ surgeries and A&E”, said NHS Direct Chief Executive Matt Tee.

“It is also clear that the public like the service they get. Our patient satisfaction ratings are very high compared to almost any health, call-centre or online service. We know there are huge opportunities for further use of telephone, internet and TV in healthcare, but it’s good to know that what we do today has such a positive effect and is appreciated by the public.”

NHS Direct Referral Process

Of the 4554 callers questioned 93% felt the referral process, which included self care advice, was efficient and the same percentage said NHS Direct “helped me deal with the issue I was calling about”. Of the 4163 callers who followed NHS Direct’s advice, 95% were satisfied.

The speed with which NHS Direct can be contacted “compared to how long it takes to book an appointment with GP or other provider” was one of the main reasons for satisfaction according to callers.

NHS Direct offers reassurance and according to IFF Research the service stops callers “panicking” and gives them confidence they are “accessing the correct service”. The advice is also trusted and callers tend not to question it.

There are three main reasons callers ring the service – 65% had a new health concern (illness or injury); 22% wanted general information and 12% had an existing concern/complaint which was worsening.

Mark Speed, IFF Research joint managing director, said: “These are very positive findings for NHS Direct – with very high levels of caller satisfaction in terms of the way the call was dealt with, the appropriateness of referral and the efficiency of the process.”

Healthcare Providers

IFF also carried out 35 in-depth interviews with healthcare providers - a cross sectional not representative sample - which will underpin a series of related studies which NHS Direct is currently developing with academic partners.

Whilst there was a good degree of positive feeling among the small number of health providers surveyed by IFF, and although they felt NHS Direct referrals are appropriate and timely, healthcare providers also felt that there is still a tendency for NHS Direct to err on the side of caution.

According to IFF, healthcare providers do understand the rationale behind such caution but feel NHS Direct’s referral system could still be further improved.

In response to this Tee explained: “Following this research, we are examining a number of options including highlighting how many calls are diverted away from each provider to counterbalance providers’ experience of inappropriate referrals. We are also considering providing an increased quantity of referral documentation which would help counteract claims of those who feel NHS Direct duplicates existing services.”

For more information, visit Nhsdirect.nhs.uk.