Complaints about helpline NHS Direct have risen by 50% since the end of 2006 as it struggles to answer calls and offer speedy advice, figures reported by the BBC show.
In March the 24-hour health helpline had 1.89 complaints for every 10,000 calls - over twice the target level - after four successive monthly rises.
Hundreds of posts were lost and 12 of its 50 centres closed last year as the service tried to make cuts as part of the NHS-wide push for savings.
The service was set up in 1997 to help give advice to people on how to deal with symptoms and to direct them to the correct place in the event of an emergency.
Showing posts with label nhs direct. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nhs direct. Show all posts
Sunday, 29 April 2007
NHS Direct complaints rise by 50%
Complaints about helpline NHS Direct have risen by 50% since the end of 2006 as it struggles to answer calls and offer speedy advice, figures reported by the BBC show.
In March the 24-hour health helpline had 1.89 complaints for every 10,000 calls - over twice the target level - after four successive monthly rises.
The Patients Association said people were now turning to them for help.
But NHS Direct, which had about 400,000 calls in March, said the situation was improving after a major reorganisation.
We are getting a lot of people ringing our helpline who are unhappy with the help they have got from NHS Direct
Patients Association spokeswoman
Hundreds of posts were lost and 12 of its 50 centres closed last year as the service tried to make cuts as part of the NHS-wide push for savings.
The service was set up in 1997 to help give advice to people on how to deal with symptoms and to direct them to the correct place in the event of an emergency.
Performance data from NHS Direct showed that in recent months the service had struggled to answer calls or deal with non-urgent cases quickly enough under its targets agreed with government.
It now means that the number of complaints it is receiving has risen by 50% in the last four months.
The 1.89 complaints per 10,000 calls in March meant there were still under 100 complaints for the month, but the figure is more than twice the target of 0.75 complaints per 10,000 calls.
Service 'scandal'
It is also recognised that it is likely that many more people have been unhappy with the service, but have not lodged formal complaints.
A spokeswoman for the Patients Association said: "We are getting a lot of people ringing our helpline who are unhappy with the help they have got from NHS Direct.
"It is scandalous that this service is not doing what it should.
"Some are even saying NHS Direct has referred them to us. We are a charity, we should not be picking up the pieces for a publicly-funded service."
A spokesman for NHS Direct said: "We have dropped below the planned targets, but the service is now improving and getting near to the standard it should be.
"There was a major reorganisation last year and it has taken time for that to bed down."
In March the 24-hour health helpline had 1.89 complaints for every 10,000 calls - over twice the target level - after four successive monthly rises.
The Patients Association said people were now turning to them for help.
But NHS Direct, which had about 400,000 calls in March, said the situation was improving after a major reorganisation.
We are getting a lot of people ringing our helpline who are unhappy with the help they have got from NHS Direct
Patients Association spokeswoman
Hundreds of posts were lost and 12 of its 50 centres closed last year as the service tried to make cuts as part of the NHS-wide push for savings.
The service was set up in 1997 to help give advice to people on how to deal with symptoms and to direct them to the correct place in the event of an emergency.
Performance data from NHS Direct showed that in recent months the service had struggled to answer calls or deal with non-urgent cases quickly enough under its targets agreed with government.
It now means that the number of complaints it is receiving has risen by 50% in the last four months.
The 1.89 complaints per 10,000 calls in March meant there were still under 100 complaints for the month, but the figure is more than twice the target of 0.75 complaints per 10,000 calls.
Service 'scandal'
It is also recognised that it is likely that many more people have been unhappy with the service, but have not lodged formal complaints.
A spokeswoman for the Patients Association said: "We are getting a lot of people ringing our helpline who are unhappy with the help they have got from NHS Direct.
"It is scandalous that this service is not doing what it should.
"Some are even saying NHS Direct has referred them to us. We are a charity, we should not be picking up the pieces for a publicly-funded service."
A spokesman for NHS Direct said: "We have dropped below the planned targets, but the service is now improving and getting near to the standard it should be.
"There was a major reorganisation last year and it has taken time for that to bed down."
Wednesday, 17 May 2006
More jobs go with health cuts
Health Minister Andy Burnham has announced a fresh round of NHS redundancies, reports The Times. The number of Primary Care Trusts (PCT) is to be cut by half and major changes made to health helpline NHS Direct.
The 303 PCTs in England are to me merged into 152, to save £250 million a year, but redundancy costs in the first year have been estimated at £320 million.
Mr Burnham also announced that the 29 ambulance trusts would be merged into 12, starting in July.
He said: "Changes of this kind are inevitably difficult. We have not sought to impose a single blueprint on the NHS but have listened carefully to representations."
Stephen O’Brien, the Conservative health spokesman, branded the moves "change for change’s sake" and warned ministers about the effect on staff morale.
NHS Direct faces the closure of 12 call centres and the loss of hundreds of jobs. The telephone helpline provides a 24-hour advice service to patients across England, but needs to find savings to repay a £15 million deficit (not even one day's worth of our contribution to the EU's audit-failing budget). Smaller NHS Direct centres in Doncaster, York, Cambridge, Scunthorpe, Chester, Bolton, Preston, Chorley, Southport, Croydon, Brighton and Kensington are to close.
Karen Jennings, the head of health at Unison, called the job losses a "crushing blow".
She said, "These cuts are very short-sighted. NHS Direct takes up to 25,000 calls a day and cutting the service will put immediate pressure on GP surgeries and A&E departments, particularly at night, weekends and Bank Holidays."
The 303 PCTs in England are to me merged into 152, to save £250 million a year, but redundancy costs in the first year have been estimated at £320 million.
Mr Burnham also announced that the 29 ambulance trusts would be merged into 12, starting in July.
He said: "Changes of this kind are inevitably difficult. We have not sought to impose a single blueprint on the NHS but have listened carefully to representations."
Stephen O’Brien, the Conservative health spokesman, branded the moves "change for change’s sake" and warned ministers about the effect on staff morale.
NHS Direct faces the closure of 12 call centres and the loss of hundreds of jobs. The telephone helpline provides a 24-hour advice service to patients across England, but needs to find savings to repay a £15 million deficit (not even one day's worth of our contribution to the EU's audit-failing budget). Smaller NHS Direct centres in Doncaster, York, Cambridge, Scunthorpe, Chester, Bolton, Preston, Chorley, Southport, Croydon, Brighton and Kensington are to close.
Karen Jennings, the head of health at Unison, called the job losses a "crushing blow".
She said, "These cuts are very short-sighted. NHS Direct takes up to 25,000 calls a day and cutting the service will put immediate pressure on GP surgeries and A&E departments, particularly at night, weekends and Bank Holidays."
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