NHS Direct

Mike Penning
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many referrals were made by NHS Direct services in (a) 2008 and (b) 2009.

Mr. Mike O'Brien
The information requested is set out in the following table:

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|                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |Referrals|
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|2008                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |1,982,544|
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|2009                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |1,735,473|
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|Note:These data include all calls to the 0845 46 47 line. It does not include other calls to services provided to national and local commissioners, including calls to The Appointments Line and locally commissioned services such as dental and out-of-hours services.Source:NHS Direct.|         |
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