24.10.13
NHS Direct to close in March 2014
NHS Direct is to cease operations at the end of this financial year, the organisation has announced.
It declared the intention to withdraw from NHS 111 contracts earlier in the year and staff and call centres are due to transfer to five ambulance trusts by the end of November.
NHS Direct has now decided to close completely in England. No patient services will be affected, as these will either not be recommissioned, or transferred to other organisations. A consultation will launch on the implications for staff, and NHS Direct said it hoped redundancies would kept to a “minimum” through redeployment at other organisations.
Chair of NHS Direct, Joanne Shaw, said: “The closure of NHS Direct marks the end of its 15 years of continuous innovation, during which time it has led the world in remote health assessment, advice and information.
“It is an enormous privilege to have been part of this journey, and I look back over my 10 years with NHS Direct with gratitude and respect for the staff who have created this exceptional service. I look forward to seeing other organisations take forward a number of the services developed by NHS Direct, and I wish them well as they exploit the ever-growing reach and power of technology, to provide value to patients and the NHS.”
NHS Direct in Wales will continue to operate as normal.
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