The Tories have been accused of an embarrassing climb down over plans to axe NHS Direct.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said he had “not announced plans to scrap the service”, just to phase out its phone number.

This appears to contradict statements from the Department of Health last month which said it would be scrapped. The DoH also said many of the NHS Direct services “may be subsumed” by the new 111 phone service for non-urgent needs.

More than 16,000 people have signed a petition to save NHS Direct.

Read more at the Mirror.

The government has confirmed it is planning to scrap the NHS Direct telephone service in England and replace it with a cheaper option.

A new 1-1-1 helpline is already being piloted in north-east England.

It was previously reported that the new service may replace NHS Direct, but now the Department of Health has confirmed it will definitely do so.

The move comes as the government curtails public spending, even though it has promised to protect the NHS.

Around 40% of NHS Direct staff are currently trained nurses, whereas the 1-1-1 helpline centres are expected to employ significantly fewer nurses.

The change will not affect existing NHS helpline services in Scotland and Wales.

Read more at BBC Health.