Thousands take NHS Direct action

Tory Health Secretary Andrew Lansley revealed that the non-emergency "111" service would be rolled out nationally once trials had been completed in Nottingham, Lincolnshire and Luton.

In the wake of his announcement thousands of NHS supporters logged on to sign the Save Our NHS Direct petition.

Early on Sunday the number signed up totalled 5,000, but only hours later the figure was already nearing 10,000.

Prime Minister David Cameron has previously promised a Commons debate on any petition that receives 100,000 signatures.

The Con-Dem government claimed that the new 24-hour service, which would enable patients to book appointments, would help "simplify NHS services" and "improve access."

However people ringing 111 would be put through to call handlers with only 60 hours of medical training instead of the fully trained nurses staffing the hugely successful NHS Direct number.

The Department of Health (DoH) admitted that it could not guarantee that all the services provided by NHS Direct would be transferred, but a spokesman denied that this was "a cost-cutting exercise."

When asked whether private firms could be brought in to run the new helpline the DoH told the Star that "different ways of delivering the service" would be tested during the pilot.

Health campaigners warned that plans to axe NHS Direct, which has kept 1.5 million people out of A&E units saving the NHS £213 million a year, were just "the thin end of the wedge."

Health Emergency chairman Geoff Martin predicted a "barrage of unprecedented cuts to front-line NHS services" over the autumn.

"There is a clear agenda in part of the Con-Dem government which is designed to smuggle through heavyweight cuts to health-care services while trying to maintain the lie that the NHS is exempt from the austerity measures being carried out," he said.

Trade unions reported that staff were "devastated" at the prospect of losing their jobs.

Unison head of health Gail Adams said the current service's success had been based on "compassionate nurses providing sensitive care" and warned that less qualified staff could not offer the same level of expertise and reassurance to the public.

Unions will take to the streets on October 23 for an anti-cuts rally on the day the government announces its comprehensive spending review, which will detail the coalition's plan to break up the public sector.

Further demonstrations are already planned for March 2011.

You can sign the Save Our NHS Direct petition at www.savenhsdirect.co.uk