National Pandemic Flu Advice Service Now Live
The new National Pandemic Flu Service providing both telephone and website advice regarding Swine Flu, went live 3 pm 23rd July, following significant delays experienced today with hundreds of call centre staff hanging around since 7.30 am awaiting the opening of the service. However, within minutes of its web address being publicised, the website crashed service crashed! Also it was immediately noted that the telephone number given on the website is incorrect!!
Access via the web:www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu Tel number: 0800 1 513 100
The flu service has always been part of the government's contingency plans, although it had been delayed and was not expected until the autumn. However, due to the public concern over the level of infections and deaths involving Swine Flu, the government have brought its opening forward to today.
Uniquely, the service provides access to anti-flu drugs as part of its diagnosis service using a checklist to diagnose whether people have swine flu.
This is the first time in fact that the distribution of medicines will be available without direct visits to a GP being required.
Whilst the NHS website states that Tamiflu and other antiviral drugs are not prescribed without care and detailed medical history being known, it is difficult to see how the flu service call centres, let alone the website service, will be able to determine this before issuing vouchers for the drugs. That said, advice from specific outlets may well be available when the drugs are issued direct to the individuals agent or 'flu-friend'.
Around 1,500 people have been brought in to staff the helpline. They will be based at call centres in places such as Bristol, Plymouth, Cardiff and Newry in Northern Ireland. The staff will not have medical training, but will have computer software enabling them to find out whether a caller is suffering from a specific set of symptoms. People who have swine flu symptoms will be given a unique access number and told where their nearest antiviral collection point is.
It is claimed that mechanisms will be in place to ensure individuals do not get several issues of the drugs in order to ensure stockpiling or fraud does not happen. However, the new media is reporting that people emailing into them are stating they intend to stock up on the drugs because of the number of people the illness is expected to kill. There is nothing stopping people from claiming they have Swine Flu just in order to get the antiviral drugs, leading then to national shortages for those truly ill with the disease.
Despite the idea of the service being to take pressure of GP services, there are those who will question the wisdom of anti-flu drugs being made available via non-medical personnel using just a checklist to determine diagnosis and issue of the drugs.
Dr Richard Vautrey, of the British Medical Association, which has helped to design the checklist being used by the flu service, said on lunch time news bulletins 23rd July: "What we have to remember is that this is a unique situation Some GP practices are receiving hundreds of calls a day and we have to prioritise so we can see the most seriously ill. It has been designed by doctors to pick up problems that need to be seen by someone with a medical background.
So as long as the call handlers get the correct training we can be confident in this service."
The main points regarding the service are:
