NHS helpline inundated

Nurses assess calls to NHS Direct

Health advice line NHS Direct was besieged with calls on Boxing Day, thought to be its busiest day so far.

Over 24,000 patients called with symptoms including vomiting, diarrhoea, back pain and chest symptoms.

While the seasonal festivities may have been responsible for some of the illnesses reported to NHS Direct, other callers may have waited until after the Christmas celebrations to report their symptoms.

The high number of callers to NHS Direct in England on Boxing Day only narrowly exceeded that on the Sunday before Christmas, when the service received just under 24,000 calls.

Christmas is one of our busiest periods

Kristine Grey, NHS Direct North East,

NHS Direct is a 24-hour telephone advice line staffed by senior nurses.

It was first set up by the government in some areas in 1998, and in November last year, was expanded to cover the whole of England.

Demand

The reason for the high use of the line this year is likely to be linked to a greater awareness of the helpline, a Department of Health spokeswoman said.

Top 10 symptoms on Boxing Day

Vomitting

Fever

Cough

Diarrhoea

Rash

Sore throat

Abdominal pain

Earache

Back pain

Chest symptoms

The tally for Boxing Day was a third higher than last year, when the service received around 18,000 calls.

The spokeswoman said detailed plans had been made to ensure NHS Direct was prepared for the demand over the holiday break.

She told BBC News Online: "We worked carefully to look at call volumes and ensure we had sufficient nurses to meet the need.

"Boxing Day was our busiest so far."

She added: "The service does continue to expand. On average it has 100,000 calls every week."

As it has developed, NHS Direct has forged closer links with other parts of the NHS, particularly those providing care at evenings and weekends, such as GP out-of-hours services.

The most common symptoms people called in with on Boxing Day were vomiting, fever, cough, diarrhoea and rash.

A third of callers received advice on how to treat themselves.

But the Department of Health spokeswoman said no conclusions could be made about the kind of illnesses people were suffering from this Christmas, as these were symptoms people reported rather than diagnosed conditions.

Figures from the Public Health Laboratory Service also show cases of flu are below the seasonal average.

Predicted peaks

Kristine Grey, of NHS Direct North East, which covers 2.1m people, said it had been the busiest Boxing Day in the three years the service had been running in that area.

The service received almost 1,700 calls.

"The most common symptoms were abdominal pains, chest pains and coughs and sneezes in children.

Based on previous years, NHS Direct can predict demand on certain days, and even what times of the day they are going to be busiest.

"There would be some over-indulgence, but with it being winter, there were the usual type of ailments," said Ms Grey.

"Christmas, like most bank holidays, is one of our busiest periods."