End of the line for NHS Direct

MEDICAL helpline NHS Direct is to be scrapped as the new non-emergency phone number 111 is rolled out, it was disclosed yesterday.

The controversial move was confirmed by NHS Direct, which is used by 27,000 people a day in England who use it to obtain expert health advice.

Last night Scottish health chiefs said there were "no plans" to abandon NHS 24, the helpline that provides a similar service in Scotland.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "There are no plans to scrap NHS 24, which provides a vital service. We are monitoring the progress of the 111 service in England."

South of the Border, NHS Direct provides expert health advice and information to callers, as well as out-of-hours support for GPs and dental services, telephone support for patients with long-term conditions, and pre and post-operative support for patients.

A spokeswoman said "many" of the services offered by NHS Direct "may be subsumed" by the 111 service.

Providing health advice and information about out-of-hours GPs, walk-in centres, emergency dentists and 24-hour chemists, 111 is currently being trialled in the north-east of England.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham criticised the move and the manner of its announcement - apparently via a slip of the tongue by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley during a hospital visit last week

Burnham said: "The Health Secretary's statement will stun people across the NHS. It is yet more evidence that Andrew Lansley is on a vindictive mission to break up the NHS, ruthlessly dismantling services before alternatives are in place. The manner in which this announcement has been made is quite simply appalling. It shows a total disregard for patients and the thousands of staff it will affect across the NHS."

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott has launched an online petition to save NHS Direct, attracting the support of more than 2,300 people since it was set up on Friday night.

He is aiming to get 100,000 signatures for his petition.