| Description | Interim Report: Review of NHS 24 |
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| ISBN | (Web Only) |
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| Official Print Publication Date | |
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| Website Publication Date | June 02, 2005 |
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INTERIM REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
1. We recommend that the NHS 24 team continues, as a
matter of urgency, to examine the feasibility of several "mini-centres" with specific
Health Boards and with SEHD, having particular regard to
the necessary staffing resources required.
2. Always with patient safety uppermost, NHS 24
management should examine the extent to which the length of
time taken to get to the caller's reason for calling can be
reduced.
3. We recommend that the internal review of various
aspects of productive time be taken to a conclusion as soon
as possible. NHS 24 management, working with the
partnership and with the staff must, with some urgency,
find ways of reducing more than 300 current shift patterns
down to a manageable level.
4. SEHD should consider strengthening the senior
project management resource within NHS 24.
5. The NHS 24 Board shall ensure that a review of
risks related to call-back (and related implications,
eg failure to get through) is undertaken
urgently.
6. We would expect to see closer collaboration between
the Health Boards and NHS 24 - real NHS team
working, led by Health Boards, with the interest of the
local community first and foremost.
7. Health Boards with remote and rural issues should
confer with NHS Highland and NHS 24 to assess the extent to
which the new 'hub' link would help remote and rural areas
generally.
8. Health Boards should take the lead in co-operating
and collaborating with other NHS partners to improve the
patient journey through different parts of NHSScotland.
Health Boards, with other partners, should be examining
shared and holistic processes.
9. Senior NHS management across Scotland should be
willing to help and support NHS 24 in its efforts to
resolve the challenges it will face, particularly over the
next 12 months.
10. We recommend that senior NHS 24 management finds
time to meet more often with front-line staff, to talk with
them and, importantly, to listen to them.
11. We also recommend that a further staff survey be
completed by NHS 24 by August of this year.
12. The Board and management of NHS 24 must focus
primarily and essentially on the current problems which
impact on satisfactory front-line service
delivery.