§ Mr. LansleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many calls have been made to the NHS University Helpline in each month that the service has been operational; [162099] (2) what the cost of establishing the NHS University Helpline was; and what estimate he has made of the monthly cost of operating it; [162100] (3) on what date the NHS University Helpline started operating. [162101]
§ Mr. HuttonThe NHSU helpline—u-/—was launched on 24 November 2003.
The service is still in its early stages of development and will not become fully operational in the national health service until next financial year.
In the trial period to date, over 1,000 individuals have contacted the service seeking independent advice on learning and personal development.
The monthly figures are:
- December—223
- January—234
- February—306
- March (to 14 March 2004)—287
The set-up costs were £567,000
The estimated monthly operating costs for this period were £49,700.