14 November 2003
NHS Direct must expand its capacity if it is to meet demand from patients and achieve the targets set by the government, the Commission for Health Improvement said this week.
In its first national report on the 24-hour telephone helpline, Chi said the service was highly regarded by patients, who said staff were polite, professional and reassuring.
NHS Direct, which operates only in England and Wales, handles half a million calls and half a million Internet enquiries a month, and took its 20-millionth call last week. Most calls are outside normal GP practice hours and 25% relate to children under five.
However, as demand has increased, lack of capacity at some call centres has threatened their ability to hit targets. Some were missing, or close to missing, national targets such as answering 90% of calls within 30 seconds and triaging within 20 minutes 90% of calls where patients asked for advice on symptoms.
Jocelyn Cornwell, Chi's acting chief executive, said: 'There are complex management arrangements that can create confusion over the development of policy, practice and performance and a lack of clarity over roles and responsibilities. For NHS Direct to build on its success and popularity, these issues need to be resolved.'
Jill Stringer, NHS Direct's national adviser for nursing, said concerns over lines of accountability would be addressed when the service becomes a special health authority in April next year.
'We have already begun working jointly with Chi to ensure that the NHS Direct special health authority is able to use Chi's invaluable findings to ensure that we are able to meet the needs of our patients in the future,' she said.
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