Be like Asda

If we look at other sectors we can see that they focus on ensuring that a few communication channels are well staffed and deliver. The supermarket analogy is that twenty years ago we could only go to the shops. Now we can go the shops, click and collect or get a delivery - BUT we cannot fax, phone or email them for ordinary services. We need a way to do this by using the NHS brand. In the analogy we will always be able to visit the hospital ED department(the equivalent to going to the shops), so we need to build up a few other communication channels that patients can choose. If we learn from other industries we can see that the call centre model of accessing services can be done well(phone immediately answered by a qualified professional who has access to information about us) or badly(long waiting times on the phone by person who has no clinical knowledge and treats this as the first interaction). If a patient identifies a problem they want to be able to access  clinical advice immediately. We can wrap the NHS brand around this and make patients feel understood and known. A drive to decentralise has created unexplained / unjustified variety.  This will be particularly relevant to MH services where a face to face presentation of the problem is no longer the default. So lets have a truly national NHS MH counselling bot available 24/7 for patients who want this, a 24/7 call centre for each NHS trust (not several, depending on locality commissioning pattern, or clinical condition) that is always helpful - e.g. joining with patients to manage their care not saying "you've come through to the wrong service."  and a physical presence in primary and emergency care.