NHS Direct underused by ethnic minorities

NHS Direct, the telephone healthcare service operated by nurses in England and Wales, is used less by ethnic minorities, people aged over 65, and disadvantaged groups than by the general population, a new report about the service in England has said. Yet these groups had “as much need as others and perhaps an even greater one.”

The report, published today by the National Audit Office, says that the service is nevertheless operating safely and effectively. Its report details only 29 cases of adverse events in the past three years—less than …