Temperature rises as call centre hits fever pitch on flu

Published on Friday 31 July 2009 10:02

Though NHS24 can't offer flu diagnosis, says Fiona Pike, check for advice if you are feeling ill Picture: GREG MACVEAN

THERE is a low hum of voices, a constant click of computer keyboards, the occasional hand raised in the air seeking a supervisor's help and various wall-mounted screens flashing up vital information.

Just like any other busy call centre. Then, over the drone of voices, a snatch of a one-sided conversation.

"So, they've been sick. And there's blood . . . OK, take your time . . ." Then another: "Right, abdominal pain and a high temperature. When did it start?"

And: "No, we don't supply Tamiflu here."

A stone's throw from the Forth bridges – between a Frankie & Benny's, a Tesco and a swanky hotel – is swine flu central, NHS 24's East of Scotland contact centre, the frontline of defence in the war against the virus and currently one of the busiest workplaces in the land.

So busy that workload there has soared by nearly 40 per cent in the past few weeks as nervy Scots reach for the phone to talk through their rising temperatures, chesty coughs, general queasiness, and swine flu fears for their holiday plans, to ask: "Have I got it?"

There's certainly been plenty callers recently: last week alone NHS 24's four Scottish call centres handled nearly 35,500 enquiries – 9,000 of them on Saturday as news broke that a pregnant woman was gravely ill and had been airlifted to Sweden for specialist treatment – with nearly 15,500 diverted to the Cardonald-based Scottish Flu Response Centre.

All this demand for information and pleas for help from a worried public means the service is about to buck the recession-driven trend among businesses to shed staff, and recruit even more. Overtime has boosted wage packets, and business, it appears, is in the grip of a swine flu-led boom.

"It's been very busy. But the staff has responded brilliantly and thankfully the calls come in peaks and troughs," nods Fiona Pike, associate director of nursing operations at Norseman House, South Queensferry, where a total of 186 call handlers and 107 nurses work shifts, tackling enquiries all day every day, on everything from minor bumps to life or death emergencies.

Now, increasingly, they are talking swine flu.

"The peaks tend to come around 8pm – just after Coronation Street – and, if there's been a story about swine flu on the news, right after it finishes," she says. "It's pretty relentless, the phones really never stop and the staff are doing a tremendous job under a lot of pressure.

"Sometimes we get to the stage of looking forward to the nights when there's football on, because then we get a bit of a break," she grins, before adding quickly that her team is ready to respond at any time, to any call, however 'trivial' – even slap in the middle of Corrie.

Certainly a break from the incessant flashing on their PC screens indicating a waiting call is something of a rarity these days, as swine flu fear appears to overshadow confirmed cases of the virus itself: for while some callers may well display classic swine flu symptoms – the professionals prefer to call it influenza A H1N1 – the biggest symptom being suffered by most NHS 24 callers appears to be one of total confusion.

"The news hasn't helped," says Fiona with a sigh. "People watch it and they get worried. And they don't understand why our system of handling this in Scotland is slightly different to England's."

The NHS Direct service, which covers England and Wales, launched its new National Flu Service last week – a swine flu hotline offering assessments and a webpage where people can enter symptoms and get a code for antiviral drugs Tamiflu or Relenza. Plans are for a swine flu hotline here too, but, as yet, its launch date has not been confirmed.

"A lot of calls are from people who have gone to the NHS Direct website, got this code and now want to know where they can pick up their Tamiflu," says senior call handler Josephine Carfray.

"We have to explain that we're not doing that here, that it's in England and we can't give them Tamiflu. Most callers are fine when you explain it all to them, but there are a few who get a bit agitated.

"You've just got to keep calm and remember that if they do get angry, it's not at you, it's at the situation."

Josephine is the kind of calm and considerate person you'd want on the other end of the phone while talking through your list of medical woes. She didn't even lose her patience with the caller who was going on holiday in September and wanted Tamiflu right now, 'just in case'.

"I can understand how they feel," nods Josephine. "I'm going on holiday soon too and the last thing I want is swine flu. People are petrified – you can't blame them.

"A lot of calls are from people who don't have any symptoms but they know someone who has. They'll call because someone at work has it and they want to know if they should stay off work.

"Others are from nursery staff who want to know what they should be doing. They only want the latest information and guidance, it's understandable and people are generally very accepting when you tell them that we can't actually diagnose them as having swine flu or not."

Team leader Angela Murray, 44, is a trained nurse who quit working in a hospital to take up the challenge of NHS 24's service. "I enjoy that every call is different," she says. "There's been a big upturn in the number of calls we handle, and we're still taking all the other types of calls too – everything you can imagine. You can be dealing with a swine flu call one minute and someone with serious chest pains the next.

"With swine flu, it's about giving people a lot of reassurance. A lot of callers are parents of children with asthma, they're naturally very worried.

"We can't diagnose, but we can advise on whether they need to see their GP and determine what to do next."

Fiona stresses diagnosis is only possible in a laboratory – most callers whose symptoms match those of swine flu will be advised on how look after themselves, to contact their GP or directed to the Cardonald-based Scottish Flu Response Centre to listen to a recorded message or speak to another call handler.

"Every single call is different and each patient is individually assessed," she adds. "And our responses vary. It might be 'phone your doctor' or we'll give some self-care advice.

"These aren't nuisance calls for us at all. People want reassurance and we are very happy to do that for them."

NHS 24 is available on 08454 242424 and online at www.nhs24.com

SURGERIES READY TO POOL RESOURCES

DOCTORS' surgeries in Lothian are preparing to share staff and pool resources as demand from swine flu cases takes hold.

Latest figures show GP surgeries in Lothian dealing with an estimated 328 cases of flu-like illnesses, with concern growing that a second, more intense wave of the virus could strike later in the year.

Health chiefs warn that at its very worst, there could be up to 2,000 deaths a week in the Lothians, with 50 per cent of the region's workforce being off sick and up to a third of people infected.

GPs have contingency plans in place to ensure they can cope with an influx of patients and sickness absence among their own staff, according to Dr Dean Marshall, a Dalkeith GP and chairman of the British Medical Association's Scottish GPs committee.

"The concern is what could happen in autumn with a rise in the number of people who are unwell," he said.

"We have plans in place aimed at ensuring we can continue to provide a service in the event of lots of people having swine flu – including staff ."