NHS Direct has been under intense pressure from calls by those suffering from 'flu, according to a report in the Times of January 12 written by a 'flu sufferer.
The reporter writes that it took him three hours to get through to an NHS Direct nurse. Seven calls at 15-minute intervals were parried by a message that he could not be dealt with because of "exceptional demand". The eighth call gave him access to a recorded message about 'flu. Finally, an operator asked whether he wished to speak to a nurse and an hour later a nurse called back to ask about symptoms and give advice.
The report says that the busiest times for NHS Direct are weekends, with around 200 nurses answering calls which have peaked at 1,650 an hour in the early evenings.