NHS Direct takes 250,000 festive calls

NHS Direct received more than a quarter of a million calls over the Christmas and New Year break, an increase of 16% on the same time last year.

The health helpline answered 255,562 calls between 20 December and 1 January, compared to 221,225 during the same time last year.

The busiest day was December 27, when the service answered 29,179 calls, followed closely by Boxing Day, when 26,130 calls were logged. The number of calls answered on Christmas Day and Boxing Day together (38,342) was 7.7% higher than last year.

Paula Higson, NHS Direct interim chief executive, said: “The demand on our service was significantly increased due to the early outbreak of colds, flu and winter vomiting bug.

“During Christmas week, 13% of all symptomatic calls answered were as a result of colds and flu and 7% were due to diarrhoea and vomiting. On a number of days the spike in calls was unprecedented, with NHS Direct at one stage answering as many as 2,800 calls an hour.”

NHS Direct also handled 2,400 ambulance Category C or low priority calls, to help keep 999 lines available for emergencies. And147, 000 people visited its new online Symptom Checker, which aims to help patients to self-care and to provide advice on whether professional help is needed.

The most common reasons for calls during the festive period were, in order of volume: dental problems, coughs, rashes, abdominal pain, vomiting in the over fives, ear problems, chest pain, medicines enquiries, fever in toddlers and throat problems.

Higson added: “By any measure NHS Direct helped a lot of people during this period and feedback from patients shows that they appreciated the service, which is an essential part of the modern health service.”