Editing NHS Direct (section)

{{for|the service in Wales|NHS Direct Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''NHS Direct''' was the health advice and information service provided by the [[National Health Service (England)|National Health Service]] (NHS), established in March 1998. The nurse-led telephone information service provided residents and visitors in [[England]] with healthcare advice [[24/7|24 hours a day]], every day of the year through telephone contact on the national non-geographic 0845 46 47 number.<ref name="wha">{{cite web |url=http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/nhs-direct |title=What is NHS Direct? |first=Joanne |last=Shaw |work=politics.co.uk |year=2012 |url-status=live |archivedate=2014-04-21 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421051155/http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/nhs-direct }}</ref> The programme also provided a web based symptom checkers on the NHS Direct website and via mobile, both as apps for [[iPhone]] and [[Android (operating system)|Android]] smart phones and a mobile website.

It was discontinued on 31 March 2014 and replaced by [[NHS 111]].<ref name="nhsWhat">{{cite web |publisher=NHS Direct |title=What is NHS Direct? |url=http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/About/WhatIsNHSDirect |url-status=dead |archivedate=2010-07-10 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710183704/http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/About/WhatIsNHSDirect }}</ref> As a part of the National Health Service, NHS Direct services were free, although the 0845 number was usually chargeable as a non-geographic number. Some landline providers allowed 0845 calls within "inclusive" minutes.

Users of the service, through whichever channel, were asked questions about their symptoms or problem. Common problems were often given simple self care advice, which they could follow, thereby avoiding an expensive visit to a health care professional. More complex problems were assessed by a nurse and could then be given treatment advice or referred on to another service within the NHS.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=NHS 111 - All you need to know|url=https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/nhs-direct/|access-date=2021-10-26|website=Politics.co.uk|language=en-US}}</ref>

As well as these core services, NHS Direct provided a number of commissioned services throughout the NHS, such as specialised support for patients with long term conditions, access to [[General practitioner|GP]] and dental healthcare out of hours, and a professional response system for times of public health anxiety.

NHS Direct only provided its service for residents and visitors in England, and there are corresponding public services covering [[Scotland]] ([[NHS 24]]) and [[Wales]] ([[NHS Direct Wales]]). [[Northern Ireland]] does not have such a service.<ref name=":0" />