1.2 In what way does NHS Direct enable the NHS as a whole to operate more effectively? The National Health Service (NHS) set up NHS Direct (NHSD), a call-centre-based operation in the UK, to provide access to healthcare information and advice more rapidly than the local doctor’s surgery. Part of NHSD’s role is to relieve pressure on these hard-pressed resources, though hoped for reductions in emergency calls and visits to accident and emergency departments in hospitals have not been realised. There are 22 call centres distributed across the country, each managed by an NHS Trust. In total, over 3,000 staff deal with 500,000 calls a month.