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Teleneurology by Telephone: NHS Direct

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Abstract

In the United Kingdom, the NHS Direct organization was established as part of the National Health Service (NHS) in 1998 (Department of Health 1998). The idea of a 24-h health and information telephone line was first suggested in a 1996 report on emergency services in the community by Sir Kenneth Calman, the then Chief Medical Officer. Initially launched in the spring of 1998 in selected areas of England, the NHS Direct service was gradually “rolled out” to the whole of the UK by the end of 2000. The aims of this government-sponsored service were to disseminate medical information and advice to support patient self-care and appropriate self-referral without recourse to a doctor.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cognitive Function Clinic, Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Liverpool, UK

    Dr. Andrew J. Larner (Consultant Neurologist)

  2. Society of Apothecaries’ Honorary Lecturer in the History of Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

    Dr. Andrew J. Larner (Consultant Neurologist)

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  1. Dr. Andrew J. Larner
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Correspondence to Andrew J. Larner .

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© 2011 Springer-Verlag London Limited

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Larner, A.J. (2011). Teleneurology by Telephone: NHS Direct. In: Teleneurology by Internet and Telephone. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-691-7_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-691-7_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-85729-690-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-85729-691-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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