Effect of NHS Direct on activity of other services, 1998–2001.
| GP cooperatives | Ambulance services (analysed at health authority level) | Emergency departments | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Services surveyed (n) | 297 | 109 | 239 |
| Services with complete data for analysis (n) | 104 | 75 | 170 |
| Total patient contacts in 4-year period (n) | 14 159 752 | 10 447 032 | 35 516 281 |
| Mean contacts per service per 24 hours | 94 | 217 | 146 |
| Underlying trend % per annum | 0.84 | 4.5 | 0.70 |
| Change in trend (95% CI) | −8.7 (−10.0 to −7.5) | 0.26 (−0.49 to 1.0) | 0.60 (0.06 to 1.1) |
| Step effect (95% CI) | −3.1 (−4.5 to −1.5) | −1.4 (−2.3 to −0.44) | 0.86 (0.19 to 1.5) |
CI = confidence interval.