Action

I have had cause to use NHS Direct before, mainly because my surgery is oversubscribed and I often wondered if I might have been more effective in securing an appointment if I sacrificed a small animal to some ancient elder God, but also because I have things to do and cannot, will not spend a day in a doctor's for something I guess I feel is minor, to me, using NHS Direct is responsible - I am making minimal impact on the health service that I contribute to, and I am getting advice which I can choose to take or not.

Guess which service is being cut now?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/aug/27/nhs-direct-health-phone-service?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

OK, so here is what you do if you want to do something about the issue - I will give you the tools to do something, it takes a few moments of your time but it makes a difference:

http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/

Type in your postcode, write to them about the proposed cuts to NHS Direct. In fact, here is a template using the figures collated from a very worldly commentator on the linked article

Dear -----------,

I wish to raise my objections to the proposed cancellation of NHS Direct. The objections raised by the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley are financial in nature, and although recent statements made could indicate that the replacement service is on trial, the objections do not add up when you consider the following - That statistics indicate that some 27,000 calls a day are made to NHS Direct at at total of just under 10million calls per annum, which works out at a cost to the taxpayer of £1.23, which is a small price to pay for advice and assistance when I need it.

27,000 calls a day to NHS Direct = just under 10m calls per annum

£123m running cost per annum means each call to the service "costs" the taxpayer £1.23.

I would ask that you raise my concerns with the Health Secretary at the earliest opportunity and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

END OF LETTER

OK, so as a present to me on my birthday, do this one thing. My aim is that you will get a taste for it, its easier than playing Farmville or posting pithy comments on twitter, its activism and it helps make your voice heard.