RCN comments on NHS Direct

Published: 28 August 2010

For immediate release

RCN comments on NHS Direct

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today commented on media reports that telephone advice service NHS Direct is to be scrapped.

Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, said:

“NHS Direct has developed over recent years into a service that many patients really value. Nurses have led the way in making this a service which can offer reassurance and advice as well as identifying when people are in need of urgent care. The evidence suggests that the expert advice of nurses has kept one and a half million people out of A & E, and saved the NHS £213 million pounds a year. It would be shortsighted to cut back on the experts who deliver these long term savings.

“We would be extremely concerned if the expertise it offers is indeed under threat. We urge the government to consult fully and look at all the evidence before enacting changes which could leave people without expert advice from trained nurses.”

Ends

Notes for Editors

For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.