Development of telephone advice in A&E: establishing the views of staff

Fifty-eight staff in an inner city accident and emergency department were issued a questionnaire seeking their views on A&E-based telephone advice services and the training they would require to operate one with confidence. A 64 per cent response rate was achieved. The staff agreed that the service in the department needed to be developed, and forwarded a number of suggestions on how this could be achieved. They also highlighted the need for training in skills such as crisis intervention. Their views have helped to shape the development of a decision-support computer software package for the department, backed by a training programme.