Callers to the NHS high-tech advice line are waiting too long to speak to a nurse, a committee of MPs has warned.

A public accounts committee report into NHS Direct warned that the department of health had yet to set the long-term objectives for the phone service which allows patients to get medical advice out-of-hours and quicker than seeing a GP.

The report finds that improvements could be made to cut the time it takes for a caller to get advice from a nurse. The service is still not achieving its target of getting 90 per cent of its callers to nursing advice within five minutes.

"Callers are currently waiting too long to speak to a nurse. NHS Direct expects that its capacity to handle calls will be improved greatly by forthcoming technological improvements in call routing and staff rostering, but it also needs to improve response times overall and review productivity levels to cope with increasing demand," the MPs warned.

The service has proved a massive success - the committee reveals it has received more than 5.3 million calls since 2001 and is now the world's largest provider of telephone advice. It had achieved a 90 per cent satisfaction rating from its callers.

MPs also found that it has a good safety record and praised the fact that an innovative service had been launched on time.

The committee, which acts as an auditor of government departments, recommended a human resources strategy to minimise the impact of its nurse recruitment on organisations elsewhere in the NHS.

It also called for better integration with out-of-hours general practitioner services and the establishment of closer links with ambulance services and accident and emergency departments.

The MPs warned that there were also some people who wanted to speak to their own GP out of hours.

"There are still a significant number of patients who would liker to speak to their own doctor, rather than NHS Direct, out of hours. It should respect patients wishes."

Usually committees damn failures by government departments; in this case the MPs warned of a different danger.

"The Department of Health now needs to set a clear strategic direction for the service in order to avoid it becoming a victim of its own success by trying to do too many things at once," their report said.

Nurses have welcomed the committee's findings.

Mark Jones, primary care policy and practice adviser for the Royal College of Nursing, said: "We believe that NHS Direct is a first-class example of a nurse-led service, which offers the public practical advice and support to determine where best to go for health care."

"What is needed, as a matter of priority, is a robust national strategy for the development of NHS Direct to extend this premier service."