Portugal follows UK lead with national health helpline technology
10 May 2007: Following the example set by NHS Direct in the UK, the first Portuguese health helpline was officially opened yesterday, underpinned by technology from Clinical Solutions.
The service was officially launched in Lisbon by Portuguese Prime Minister Mr Josè Sócrates and Minister of Health Dr. António Correia de Campos. The health helpline that provides a service similar to that of NHS Direct in the UK, a customer of Clinical Solutions for the last six years, has been running and taking calls since April 24th. To date the service has taken around 1500 calls per day, significantly more than the 900 daily calls anticipated. This immediate uptake demonstrates the current need for this type of service for the Portuguese population.
Richard Turner, the Director for Trade and Investment at the British Embassy in Lisbon attended the launch event. He explains, “The new service will provide a lifeline for the Portuguese people and an invaluable resource for the Portuguese Public Health system. The choice of Clinical Solutions’ technology is testament to the company’s track record in the UK. Britain’s ability to export this technology says very positive things about its healthcare infrastructure.”
The Clinical Solutions software is used by staff to record patient calls and provide information to aid advice for patients. It also allows the Portuguese Public Health System to better manage its limited resources and allocate the correct level of care based on the assessment of each case.
Clinical Solutions was selected over other healthcare providers including McKesson, to provide call centre management and clinical decision support software for the health helpline based on its experience with NHS Direct in England.
Private company, Linha de Ciudados de Saúde (LCS), was formed to implement the programme and it is the first private/public sector healthcare partnership of its kind in Portugal.
The national health helpline is launched in Lisbon by Portuguese Prime Minister Mr Josè Sócrates and Minister of Health Dr. António Correia de Campos.
Subscribe
Receive our free news alerts
