Men and new parents – two groups who often find the NHS unfriendly – appear to be some of the more enthusiastic users of NHS Direct, according to a qualitative study of callers’ interactions with the national telephone helpline.
The research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and conducted by Professor Gerard Hanlon of Leicester University, found that new parents found it easier to call with “trivial” enquiries and used the service to get reassurance.
Men used the service to seek health advice both for themselves and for family members. Professor Hanlon explained: “They found it really quite helpful and were prepared to use it again. They thought it was a good way of accessing healthcare and in some ways that does make sense given that men are more reluctant to go to hospitals. They can also use NHS Direct during their working hours.”
The research report says NHS Direct is viewed as being different from the rest of the NHS in being friendly, helpful and less judgmental.
The research was not quantitative, so it not possible to derive a true demographic picture of NHS Direct users from it. It did suggest, however, that users were also likely to be in the 30-60 age bracket and from the white middle classes.
The study’s purpose was to examine how old and new technology – the telephone and clinical assessment software – can be use to develop new ways of accessing healthcare. Professor Hanlon examined how NHS Direct consultations work in a changed society in which patients – it is assumed – want services to be more flexible, less paternal and more responsive to individual needs.