NHS Direct pilots home working

Tags: Cuts NHS Direct Remote working

15 Jun 2010

NHS Direct is to consider allowing a large number of its staff to work from home, if a pilot shows positive results.

The telephone and web advice service has already closed one of its sites in Portsmouth in order to allow staff to work from home.

The organisation, which employs more than 3,000 people across the country, is aiming to address low levels of staff satisfaction and morale.

Nick Chapman, chief executive of NHS Direct, told E-Health Insider: "We started letting around 11 staff work from home from the beginning of March from one of our smaller centres.

"In this instance [we were talking about] a small number of workers who worked on an industrial estate, often alone at night, and when the lease was coming up they simply said 'can't we do this from home?'"

Chapman added that key benefits included less travelling time, greater job statisfaction 'like printing money', and a feeling of being much more directly responsible for patients.

"I think that before, workers often felt like cogs in a machine. Our staff turnover is around 25% per year. McKesson are supporting a similar service in Australia, and they literally have a waiting list of people wanting to work," Chapman added.

Chapman said he will be taking the results of the pilot to the board at the end of July.

He added: "I don't want to prejudge the outcome or set off a ripple of rumours but from the people I have spoken to, it looks very positive.

"Clearly, there are people who this will not suit. But in terms of resolving the staff churn and having a huge impact on the quality and cost of the service it looks good."

The review of the pilot will also look at whether remote working can contribute to the £20m savings that NHS Direct has promised to make over the coming year.

Chapman added: "I think the cost will be almost knock for knock, as there will be no major savings from a physical and infrastructure point of view. However, these are all things we will look at as part of the equation."

Speaking at the Smarthealthcare event in London, Chapman also critised the NHS for being slow on the uptake of remote working.

He said: "The NHS regards remotely delivered care as second-rate, cheap, nasty and potentially unsafe. This is not the case."

He defended NHS Direct against comments made by the chairman of the BMA's General Practice Committee, Dr Laurence Buckman, who included elements of the service in a list of potential cuts for the goverment to consider.

Dr Buckman suggested that NHS Direct is "an interposition between patient and healthcare."

Chapman said: ' Sixty percent of those that call our 0845 service do not go on to face to face contact with a health professional. What would they have done if they hadn't phoned first?

"In a survey we found half would have gone to their GP and a quarter would have gone to A&E. I understand what Laurence is saying, but many GPs really don't understand what value NHS Direct adds."

Sarah Bruce

GP leader names his NHS savings (10 Jun 2010) (4)

Readers Comments

NHS Direct working from home

18 Jun 10 10:35

You really must be joking!

So the family sit around as we discuss our problems, remotely maybe, but where is the privacy? They ask where we live, they ask for personal details and I guess the family can all chip in with their advice too!

Find them a proper office hospital or GP based, if all they need is a laptop or desktop computer, every town must have some place they can work.

My fear is that patient confidentiality is being eroded by the minute, but then who ever cared about the patient?

19th Century Work Ethics

18 Jun 10 22:38

On what basis does commenter #1 assume that they have family sitting around them while they work?

My personal experience of working from home is a good one: I have an office in my home in the spare room with 50Mbs ISP, Fax, email, mobile phone, printer/photocopier, including multiple monitors enabling me to be working on several tasks at once (eg PID/ Project Plans and Business Cases - in unison) - now tell me - how many offices allow that? I might also add that unlike the office at work - mine is also air-conditioned, and the Tea tastes like Tea should (not like dish water)

I don't have any children and instead of spending my time sitting in traffic getting to and from an office I spend my time productively. I save a fortune on fuel/ travel costs.

I think research has proven time and again that most home based workers are more productive than office based workers.

The day when our place of employment was around the corner to where we live has long gone and a really do prefer being at home working than sitting on the M25 twice each day for two to four hours.

I think those with the 19th Century Work Ethics should get with the times - home based workers (even if only for a few days each week) breathes life to a business and offers workers a real positive work/ life balance.

Theres nothing I can't do at home that I can do at work - if the boss is that desperate to see me in the office then I'm happy to provide a framed photo which he/ she can keep on her desk if it makes them feel more comfortable.

Remote possibilities

20 Jun 10 19:15

With PDAs they'll be able to work from the pub, Tesco's, Benidorm ..... just like on-call doctors!

Extreme Side

21 Jun 10 08:31

I agree with reader’s 1 comments to some way but I must admit that he/she is thinking on an extreme end. I am not saying it is not possible it could be possible but then anything is possible.

In my own opinion, I may be wrong but I think if staff can and are willing to work from home, why not.