The DH has announced that NHS Direct Digital TV, which will provide basic information on local health services and advice on treating common illnesses through interactive TV, will be launched tomorrow at a cost of £15m. The service will also include the latest news about health issues, and an encyclopaedia of illnesses and treatments. In contrast with NHS Direct Online, the medium will be used to show relevant video clips as well. Minister of State for Health, Rosie Winterton, said: "This new innovative service will provide patients and the public with high-quality health information from a trusted and reliable source. There will be advice to help users treat common health problems at home. Information on conditions and treatments will allow them to make informed choices about their healthcare. “The NHS Direct telephone service and website have already proved very popular with users. NHS Direct Digital TV will provide people with further choice in the way they can access health information from the NHS." The contract to provide the services was awarded to MMTV Limited, along with project management from PA Consulting and Nomensa for testing purposes. MMTV is chaired by Tony Baldry, MP for Banbury. The DH hopes that the service will encourage users to seek out information about their health and therefore take steps to prevent problems before they occur. In the Wanless Report of April 2002, ‘Securing Out Future Health: Taking a Long-Term View’, it was stressed that “increased self-care, and the more aware and engaged public associated with it, could result in useful cost benefits for the health service both in terms of levels and effectiveness of resources, arising from more appropriate use of health and social care services." A digital TV health information service was piloted by the NHS from 2001-2. The results showed that such a service would prove highly popular, even more so than the internet or phone, and would reach parts of society that the existing services missed out. Numerous other local pilot projects have been carried out, such as Living Health in Birmingham. The original launch of the system was planned for this summer, but had been delayed because, according to a spokesperson from the DH, “contents and contracts" were being finalised.
