Call outcomes
Of the 586 calls to the PAL, 314 (53.6%) of the parents’ concerns were resolved in a single call, 185 (31.7%) in two calls and 87 (14.8%) in three or more calls. For the 268 calls for which this information was available, the outcomes were verbal medical advice given by a paediatrician (141 calls, 52.6%), verbal advice from a paediatric nurse or midwife (60 calls, 22.4%), written advice from a PAL clinician (email or text message) (18 calls, 6.7%), referral to be seen in-person by a paediatrician (11 calls, 4.1%), and referral to a general practitioner (31 calls, 11.6%) or the emergency department (seven calls, 2.6%). Advice was either given during the initial call or shortly after if advice from a more senior clinician was required.