§ 8. Kali Mountford (Coln Valley)What was each monthly total for calls to NHS Direct since its establishment. [102269]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Ms Gisela Stuart)In October 1999, NHS Direct handled 109,000 calls. This is the first time that more than 100,000 calls have been handled in one month. By the end of October, NHS Direct had handled more than 700,000 calls. A list of the monthly total of calls since its establishment will be placed in the Library.
§ Kali MountfordThat is an impressive number by anybody's calculation. I understand that 65,000 callers called NHS Direct in west Yorkshire. However, numbers alone are not the most important issue—the appropriateness of advice is extremely important. One of my constituents—a very close friend—rang NHS Direct when she was feeling queasy and did not want to trouble her GP. She was advised to go to hospital immediately, where she was found to be having a heart attack. I am pleased to say that she is now very well. Is it not the case that NHS Direct is an additional service that allows for the range of NHS services to be used appropriately and effectively?
§ Ms StuartI am grateful to my hon. Friend for that example of how NHS Direct is an additional service that improves health care delivery. In September alone, some 2,000 callers to NHS Direct were directed to call 999 for an ambulance.
NHS Direct is part of a £100 million accident and emergency modernisation package. People who are directed to A and E receive the appropriate urgent treatment and NHS Direct facilitates that, not only in the Colne valley but across the country.
§ Mr. Ian Bruce (South Dorset)I am sure that the Minister will acknowledge the trials for NHS Direct that were set up by the previous Government. We certainly welcome its success. Is the Minister willing to tackle a difficult question? Will putting more money into walk-in centres and NHS Direct, and correctly reducing the load on GPs and casualty departments, mean a change in the funding of GPs in particular when that load is taken off them?
§ Ms StuartI am delighted that the Conservative party is beginning to see the light. Not too long ago, a Conservative Secretary of State called NHS Direct peripheral and irrelevant. It is neither. As for funding, it is a prime example that shows that modernising the NHS means producing facilities that allow patients access to an appropriate level of medical care, whether that is offered by the GP, the hospital or through self-care. The funding formula will respond to the service needs, and NHS Direct is additional to that.