Swine flu surge swamps NHS Direct

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The advice from NHS Direct was to check swine flu symptoms online before calling.

A spokeswoman warned that people with non-urgent calls faced a longer wait before being dealt with.

"People who have flu-like symptoms and are concerned, are advised to stay at home and if possible check their symptoms on the cold and flu symptom checker on www.nhs.uk," she said.

Scotland has experienced its biggest jump in confirmed cases - 111 new sufferers.

On Monday and Tuesday this week NHS Direct received more than 6,500 calls from people worried they had the virus.

Callers are currently hearing a recorded message saying the service is only dealing with emergency cases.

The spokeswoman added: "We are currently experiencing an increase in flu-related calls and this is having an impact on call back times for non-urgent calls.

"We prioritise urgent calls so that people most in need are assessed as quickly as possible.If a call back is required, callers will be told how long they will have to wait."

Meanwhile, London and the West Midlands will now adopt a policy of outbreak management. This means new swine flu cases will be clinically diagnosed rather than being confirmed by laboratory results.