Saturday, June 24, 2006

Oh, Matron

In the People's Republic of Victoria the Government has launched a new call centre where the stakes are higher than at most other centre. From Chairman Bracks:

NOW EVERY VICTORIAN FAMILY HAS A NURSE-ON-CALL - 4 June 2006

Victorian families wanting immediate health advice now have it at their fingertips, with the launch today of Victoria’s Nurse-On-Call 24-hour hotline.

Launching the service at its new Richmond call centre, Premier Steve Bracks said callers would be able to speak to an experienced nurse, discuss their illness or condition, receive advice and be directed to the care or treatment they need.

“Whether you’re a mum whose kids have come down with the flu in the middle of the night, or an elderly Victorian who wants advice about how to manage their long-term back pain, you’ll be able to get straight through to a registered nurse, without having to endure an annoying automated menu system,” Mr Bracks said.


When the idea was first canvassed, it was controversial. The theory went (with some validity) that the call centre was merely an excuse to erode funding to more conventional face-to-face medical services. The assumption implicit in this thinking is that call centres are a second best option, an assumption that is far from clear. The convenience of phone contact, plus the ability to service remote areas effectively and the chance for a second and third opinion mean that a nursing service call centre is an idea with plenty of potential.

According this this FAQ the staff on board are all registered nurses rather than coming from a call centre background - thankfully, given the woeful medical knowledge of most call centre employees. (However, they seem to know plenty about popping pills. Go figure.) It's heartening though, that work in a call centre is perceived as worthwhile and professionally fulfilling when a generation ago it's likely to have been sneered at. Given that 500,000 calls a year are estimated to be recieved by the centre (1 for every 8 Victorians), it's clearly a significant part of the government's health strategy. With a highly competitive Grade of Service of 80-20 (80% of calls answered in 20 seconds) required by the contract, it seems that the government are keen to make sure it avoids being perceived as a second-class service.

It's worth noting that the contract to manage the call centre hasn't gone to one of the big call centre outsourcers: instead it has gone to McKesson Asia-Pacific, a niche operator who specialise in medical call centres. According to their website, here's their sales pitch:

McKesson Asia-Pacific is the leading provider of high-quality telephone-based healthcare throughout Australia and New Zealand.

We employ health professionals, including nurses, social workers and psychologists, to provide health advice programs for:

State and national governments
Area Health Services and District Health Boards
Health insurers
Other private healthcare providers


Carry on.