Satisfaction of using a nurse led telephone helpline among mothers and caregivers of young children

•Nurse led triage can equip patients with the skills and knowledge to self manage health symptoms.•Self-care support can empower patients to take more control of theirs and others health.•Quality of communication is integral to patients trust and reassurance of this type of service.

ObjectivesThis research aimed to explore user’s experiences of using a nurse led telephone based healthcare service (NHS Direct) among mothers and caregivers of young children to uncover the core factors, which influence the level of satisfaction of using this type of service.MethodsFocus groups were held with a subgroup of NHS Direct high ‘users’ (N=17), which included mothers and grandmothers of young children aged between 21 and 54 years old. Qualitative data analysis was undertaken using the thematic framework approach.ResultsThe findings revealed a high level of satisfaction towards this service and this was based on high levels of trust and reassurance that this service provides. Findings also uncovered that users believed that the service would be improved by the utilisation of more person-centred decision-making tools.ConclusionThis research demonstrates the increasing role that telephone based healthcare services can play on empowering patients to take more control of their health.