number. This intention was set out in the white paper, but was portrayed in the media as a 'leak' by the Conservative Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. The service was shut down on 26 March 2014. A copy of the website was archived a few weeks before the official closedown. Abolition of NHS Direct helpline (England) The Department of Health confirmed that NHS Direct's telephone number was to be phased out in favour of the new non-emergency NHS 111 number, following three pilots in the North East, East Midlands and East of England. NHS 111 is intended to work in an integrated way with local GPs, out-of-hours services, ambulance services and hospitals, for the benefit of patients and to help the NHS become more efficient. NHS Direct was intended to have an ongoing role, along with other providers, in helping to deliver the NHS 111 Service and, in the interim, continued providing local and national telephone and web-based services on behalf of its commissioners. Closure It was announced in October 2013 that NHS Direct would be closed down in 2014. after the organisation became entangled in and failed to deliver correctly a number of contracts to deliver NHS 111. References External links NHS Direct Crisis hotlines Health informatics in the United Kingdom Health informatics organizations National Health Service (England) Defunct National Health Service organisations