NHS Direct Interactive now available on Sky Active

Citation

(2005), "NHS Direct Interactive now available on Sky Active", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 35 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2005.01735cab.020

NHS Direct Interactive now available on Sky Active

NHS Direct Interactive now available on Sky Active

Millions of Sky viewers can now access up-to-the minute health information conveniently through their TV as NHS Direct Interactive launches on Sky Active.

Viewers can now access NHS Direct by pressing the Interactive button on the Sky remote and choosing Sky Active. The new service offers tips on looking after yourself, a health encyclopaedia and guidance on using the NHS. Over 3,000 pages of free health information includes:

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  an A-Z of health related issues, covering subjects from Acne to X-rays;

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  easy to navigate menus with information on symptoms, causes, diagnosis, complications and treatments;

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  guidance on how to look after yourself, including diet and nutrition, exercise, how to quit smoking and sexual health;

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  video information on topics such as diabetes, healthy eating and heart disease;

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  information on how to get help, how to register with a local GP and links through to health organisations.

The Department of Health is investing £5million per year for the next three years in NHS Direct Interactive.

NHS Direct Chief Executive, Ed Lester said:

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  Now that viewers can access NHS Direct Interactive through Sky Active at home, more viewers will use the service increasing our level of support to the wider population, potentially those who do not have a PC at home to access NHS Direct Online.

  Over half a million viewers use Sky Active a week to play TV games, send emails, view cinema listings and access information plus lots more.

Sky Interactive Managing Director, Ian Shepherd said:

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  Having NHS Direct Interactive on Sky Active adds a valuable free service to our interactive TV portal. The service is easy to use and provides an extremely useful source of information that compliments the wide range of entertaining services available through Sky Active.

Sky Active is Sky's entertainment TV portal. It gives digital satellite viewers access to a daily digest of magazine style programming and lets them interact using their Sky remote control. Updated daily with celebrity interviews and news, viewers can enjoy a broad range of services that include games and puzzles, friends and dating services, text, chat and email, The Lotto and cash wins, TV and film news, daily horoscopes plus much more. Using Sky Active is easy, simply press the "Interactive" button on the Sky remote and select "Sky Active". Over 500,000 viewers use Sky Active per week (BARB, December 2004).

Sky viewers can access the service by pressing the Interactive button on their remote control and selecting "Sky Active". Viewers can also press the red button whilst watching Sky News and Sky Travel and scroll down to choose NHS Direct.

Patients and the public can also access health information via NHS Direct Online – www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk or via the telephone service on 0845 4647, The latest edition of the Thomson Local Directory now includes the NHS Direct self-help guide "Not Feeling Well".