So often, sound medical advice is needed quickly, and none is more important than in the case of an emergency. NHS Direct is a telephone advice service for people in England and Wales. Manned by trained nurses 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it is increasingly regarded by health-service consumers as an essential health back-up.
How does it work? All households have been sent the NHS Direct number for the area. So if you are woken at 2 a.m. by a child who is unwell and you are unsure whether to treat him yourself or seek medical help, you might ring for advice.
Using a computer-based protocol system, the nurse who takes the call may advise calling your GP or bringing the child straight to the nearest accident-and-emergency department - or may simply provide reassurance.
Surveys have shown the new service, which was initially criticised as a political quick-fix solution, is popular with users. The information it provides is of a consistently high standard - there is also a website, with health information and news - and it has been shown to help smooth out some of the inequitable aspects of the NHS.
So far, research suggests NHS Direct is serving a previously unmet need. While attendances at accident-and-emergency departments have not reduced in response to its introduction, calls to casualty units for telephone advice have dropped by up to 70 per cent, meaning front-line hospital staff can be redeployed to direct patient care.
The NHS Direct website is at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk