24 October 2013 Last updated at 12:24
NHS Direct to close down next year
Patients have struggled to get through to the 111 helplineNHS Direct – one of the most recognisable names in the NHS – will be closed down in England next year.
The organisation, which is an NHS trust, got into financial difficulty after winning a number of the contracts for the 111 phone line.
It had already said it was pulling out of those – and this latest decision means its other services will closed or transferred to other NHS bodies.
The NHS Direct service began 15 years ago.
It ran the national telephone advice line from the late 1990s until April this year, when the 111 service was launched.
The 111 service was split into 46 different contracts and NHS Direct won 11 of them.
