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 José Sócrates and Minister of Health Dr António Correia de Campos. The health helpline, which 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 24 April 2007. To date, the service has taken around 1,500 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.
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.
