I Love NHS Direct
As I read the news about NHS Direct being scrapped, I can still picture myself holding my young daughter, with a high fever, and answering questions from the nurse on the phone. I have called NHS Direct 3 times when my daughter has had a high fever with no other cold like symptoms. Twice I was reassured, and once, sent to a walk in centre at 2 in the morning. They arranged a taxi to come and pick us up and we arrived calm and cradling our sick little girl. Yes, it was a virus, and childhood viruses are very scary, but the staff and those working locum jobs for doctors were professional, and reassuring. I cannot believe they will scrap it without doing an analysis of how much time and frustration they have save GP’s, (or how much their lifestyle has improved by not taking after hours calls). When my daughter was in the United States, she had a similar fever, but instead of a series of diagnostic questions, I was ordered to bring her in immediately in the middle of a snow storm. Instead of a taxi (covered by the NHS and saving the price of an ambulance) I had to take my feverish daughter on the train. The verdict, of course, the same, a childhood virus. Except without NHS direct, we were distressed, frozen, and probably much the worse for wear. Personally, I have called with simple food poisoning , and given advice, that helped keep me calm, resolve the symptoms, and stay at home.It seems short sighted and dangerous to remove the nurses from the equation. I don’t know if I will trust the service as much, and given that I don’t know if I will use the service. Does this mean that I will rely more on my GP? The A and E? is that a good thing?
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