§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew), 27 November Ref 19267 2001,Official Report, Columns 859–60W, how many inquiries have been received by NHS Direct since its inception; what proportion of those inquiries come from rural areas; and what proportion of those inquiries required (a) a visit to the doctor and (b) treatment in a hospital. [20032]
140W
§ Ms BlearsSince NHS Direct was launched in March 1998 it has handled over 8,000,000 calls. This calendar year alone it has handled over 4,500,000 calls, averaging 90,000–100,000 calls a week. NHS Direct call volume data are collected as a figure for the total population area covered by a particular site and not by rural/urban split. Out of the 4,500,000 calls made to NHS Direct this calendar year, 38 per cent. of callers were advised to see their general practitioner, and 11 per cent. advised to visit a hospital.
NHS Direct has not been set up to merely reduce demand on other health services. It is about making sure that patients get to the right service at the right time, and giving people reassuring clinical advice so that they can look after themselves if that is the appropriate thing to do.