- NHS Direct Wales
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NHS Direct Wales is a 24-hour telephone and internet health advice service provided by NHS Wales to enable people to obtain advice when use of the national emergency telephone number (999 or 112) does not seem to be appropriate but there is some degree of urgency; it also functions as a confidential advice service for some medical matters which a patient might be reluctant to discuss with their own General Practitioner (GP) and has subsidiary helplines for specific health matters such as human papillomavirus.[1]
It does not replace any of the existing emergency or non-emergency medical services but complements those already existing and enables callers who might not be fully able to diagnose themselves to be directed to care of an appropriate level of urgency, including transport to hospital if the diagnosis merits that action.
Contents
Organisation and History
This service was originally provided as part of NHS Direct covering both England and Wales until it was transferred to Welsh control in June 2001 [2]. On 1st April 2007 management of NHS Direct Wales was transferred from Swansea NHS Trust to the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust [3]
NHS Direct Wales also provides the out-of-hours service for GPs in Anglesey, Gwynedd and Swansea Local Health Board areas [1].
How to Contact NHS Direct Wales
Telephone
The telephone number for NHS Wales is 0845 46 47 (the same number as used for the equivalent service in England).
Website
The website is located at http://www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk
The textphone service is on 0845 606 4647.
Access via RNID Typetalk[4] is on 18001 0845 4647.
Callers receive a recorded announcement describing the services available and when appropriate will be transferred to a call handler who will take their details and pass them on to another person with relevant skills or will arrange for them to be called back [2] within three hours. If a problem appears serious enough then an ambulance will be sent. Callers can stay anonymous if they so wish.
Internet
The NHS Direct Wales website [3] provides a gateway to a number of resources in English, Welsh and other languages including a health encyclopaedia [4] and the locations of GP surgeries [5], dentists [6], pharmacists [7] and opticians [8]. You can also use the Local Services section to search the Health, Well-Being & Support Directory for a local support group, befriending service, transport scheme, physical activity opportunity etc [9].
The website does not provide an online diagnosis for current symptoms, but you can use the Online enquiry service [10] to ask a non symptomatic question about anything else related to health, e.g. questions about health costs, questions about how to make a complaint, questions about what travel vaccinations are required.
References
External links
Categories:- Healthcare in Wales
- NHS Wales
- Helplines
- Health informatics
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