title: NHS Direct and nurses--opportunity or monotony?
abstract: NHS Direct, the 24-hour telephone helpline providing information and advice about health problems, is available throughout England and Wales. It was envisaged as a nurse-led service presenting a new opportunity for the nursing profession. Free text comments from a postal survey of NHS Direct nurses revealed that a large proportion of nurses were happy with working in NHS Direct, and that it presented some nurses with the opportunity of a new and challenging role. However, a minority found the work monotonous and felt that NHS Direct is likely to face the challenge of staff retention.
authors.affiliation: Medical Care Research Unit, School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 30 Regent Street, Sheffield S1 4DA, UK. e.l.knowles@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Knowles
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: O'Cathain
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morrell
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Munro
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Nicholl
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D003376:Counseling; D015277:Hotlines; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009729:Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D013041:Specialties, Nursing; D013222:State Medicine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014218:Triage / Q000379:methods