Editing NHS Direct (section)

==History and background==
NHS Direct was launched in 1998 after the government identified a need for a telephone health advice line staffed by nurses as part of its plans to modernise the [[National Health Service (England)|NHS]].<ref name="DH_4008959">{{cite web |publisher=Department of Health |url=http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4008959 |title=The New NHS: Modern, Dependable }}{{dead link|date=September 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The aim of NHS Direct, as stated by the government in the NHS White Paper, ''The New NHS'', was "to provide people at home with easier and faster advice and information about health, illness, and the NHS, so that they are better able to care for themselves and their families".<ref name="nhsdirect1">{{cite web |publisher=NHS Direct |url=http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/article.aspx?name=HistoryOfNHSDirect |title=History of NHS Direct |url-status=dead |archivedate=2008-12-17 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217040304/http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/article.aspx?name=HistoryOfNHSDirect }}</ref>

The NHS Direct telephone service began taking calls in three contact centres in Lancashire, Northumbria and Milton Keynes in March 1998.<ref name="DH_4006050">{{cite web |publisher=Department of Health |url=http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4006050 |title=Evaluation of NHS Direct first wave sites first interim report to the Department of Health |url-status=live |archivedate=2007-08-11 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811075447/http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4006050 }}</ref> These original sites were set up as pilots but soon proved successful, reaching over 1 million people and earning highly positive feedback. Additional waves of pilots were established in contact centres around England until the whole country was covered by the NHS Direct telephone service in 2000.<ref name="nhsdirect1"/>

NHS Direct added a website to its services at the end of 1999, allowing users to find clinically accurate health advice and information anonymously. Since its creation, the NHS Direct website was steadily improved and developed, attracting more users. By 2008, there were over 1.5 million visitors to the website every month.<ref name="nhsdirect1"/> NHS Direct's services continued to expand and improve. It had been said that this has made the organisation "the largest and most successful healthcare provider of its kind, anywhere in the world".<ref name="DH_4920815">{{cite web |publisher=Department of Health |url=http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/Browsable/DH_4920815 |title=Developing NHS Direct: Strategy Document for the next three years" (Foreword) |url-status=live |archivedate=2012-03-01 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301035437/http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/Browsable/DH_4920815 }}</ref>

It was reported that each call made to NHS Direct cost £25 to answer - an earlier official report had put the total at £16.<ref name="telegraph3253245">{{cite news |first=Kate |last=Devlin |date=2008-10-24 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3253245/Every-call-to-NHS-Direct-costs-25.html |title=Every call to NHS Direct costs £25 |work=The Telegraph |url-status=dead |archivedate=2009-09-18 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918195148/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3253245/Every-call-to-NHS-Direct-costs-25.html }}</ref>

In April 2007, NHS Direct became an NHS Trust, giving it the opportunity to apply for foundation trust status.<ref name="wha"/>

In August 2010, the BBC reported that David Cameron's coalition government was planning to scrap the NHS Direct 0845 46 47 helpline telephone service in favour of the cheaper [[NHS 111 (England)|NHS 111]] number.  This intention was set out in the white paper, but was portrayed in the media as a 'leak' by the Conservative Health Secretary [[Andrew Lansley]].<ref name="bbc11120853">{{cite news |work=BBC News |date=2010-08-28 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11120853 |title=Government confirms plan to scrap NHS Direct helpline |url-status=live |archivedate=2010-08-28 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100828190855/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11120853 }}</ref> The service was shut down on 26 March 2014.<ref name="holding">{{cite web |url=http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/ |title=NHS Direct holding page |publisher=NHS Direct |url-status=dead |archivedate=2014-03-30 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330223828/http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/ }}</ref><ref name="close">{{cite web |url=http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/wellbeing/540408/nhs-direct-closed-for-business |title=NHS Direct: closed for business |work=Good to Know |publisher=IPC Media Women's Network |date=2014-03-28 |url-status=live |archivedate=2014-04-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426222123/http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/wellbeing/540408/nhs-direct-closed-for-business }}</ref> A copy of the website was archived a few weeks before the official closedown.<ref name="archive">{{cite web |url=http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/ |title=Archive Copy of NHS Direct Website |work=National Archives |date=2014-02-20 |url-status=dead |archivedate=2014-02-20 |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140220132333/http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/ |access-date=2004-10-24 }}</ref>