This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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NHS 24 Annual Review
24/08/2005
Health Minister Andy Kerr will today chair the NHS 24
Annual Review.
NHS 24 is a frontline service for patients. It provides
over the phone advice for patients and plays a vital role
in helping people who may need to access local NHSBoard
out-of-hours services when GP practices are closed.
Mr Kerr said:
"These annual reviews are to highlight success and give
credit where credit is due. But I also want to use these
reviews to scrutinise performance, challenge where
necessary, and drive forward further improvement.
"NHS24 has had a difficult year and its problems have
been well documented. Nevertheless, it is here to stay as
an integral part of the NHS, and we are determined to
ensure that it lifts its performance across the board.
"That's why we set up an separate ongoing review of its
performance, which reported in June that there were
significant challenges facing NHS 24 if it is to realise
its potential.
"That report also confirmed that despite criticism, the
level of patient satisfaction with the service had been
generally high, and that the new Chief Executive and his
executive team had already taken steps to address some of
the issues raised.
"It is clear to me that access and, in particular
call-back, are the most pressing issues requiring to be
improved by NHS 24 and I look forward to hearing about how
they plan to make these improvements.
"We intend to support NHS 24 to meet this challenge head
on, and this annual review is another step towards helping
it do that.
"I want to see an NHS which is better, quicker, closer
and safer and I am confident that these reviews will help
us deliver that."
The annual review will cover key areas such as: call
back and waiting times, remote and rural access, working
with other NHS Boards and future plans.