A year after the NHS 111 number was launched for a trial in Luton, it has been announced that it will be rolled out across the country.
LAUREN ARCHELL looks at how the service works and speaks to one very satisfied patient.
More than 30,000 calls have been made to the NHS 111 number in Luton since it was launched a year ago.
The town was chosen to pilot the free phone service, which is designed to help people access the most appropriate healthcare service for medical problems.
The Government has announced that the scheme will be rolled out across the country by April 2013, at which point it will replace the NHS Direct number.
The 111 programme is a joint NHS and Department of Health initiative which is part of wide revisions to the urgent care system.
It was found that patients were confused by what services are available for them and too often were using ones which were not the best to meet their needs.
The new 111 phoneline is manned 365 days a year by a team of fully trained advisers and supported by experienced nurses.
Staff are able to make a quick assesment over the phone and give the patient healthcare advice and direct them to the right place as quickly as possible.
This can include an out-ofhours doctor, walk-in centre or urgent care centre, community nurses, emergency dentist or late-opening chemist.
In an emergency, an ambulance will be sent immediately without the need for any further assessment.
Dr Baz Barhey, GP and chairman of the Luton Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “It is important that Luton residents are able to get the right care first time and that they are treated in the most appropriate healthcare setting for their needs.
“People are often unsure what to do or where to go for help, particularly when they have unexpected or urgent healthcare needs but the 111 service assesses the caller’s needs and then directs them to the best service for them whilst also reducing unnecessary pressure on A&E and emergency services.” An independent evaluation of calls to the service by the University of Sheffield showed that 85 per cent of people in Luton would call the service again and that 66 per cent per cent were ‘very satisfied’ with the way the service handled their call.
Nearly a half of people calling for urgent health advice were directed to an appropriate primary care service, such as the out-of-hours service, walk-in centre or GP surgery.
Seven per cent required an ambulance, which the 111 service can do automatically, four per cent were advised to visit A&E and 11 per cent received home care advice which meant they did not need to make a trip to see a healthcare professional.
The service now averages around 100 calls a day, with 60 per cent of those questioned strongly agreeing that the service is a valuable addition to the NHS.
Ron Greenham, of Crowland Road, Luton, called the 111 service for a nose bleed that wouldn’t stop.
He said: “I was sitting having a cup of tea with my wife when I needed to blow my nose and it started to bleed profusely.
“My wife was on hand with some kitchen paper and the telephone and we dialled 111 where our call was answered quickly by a call handler who asked some basic questions.
“I was then passed straight to a qualified nurse assessor who asked some more questions to get more of an idea of what was going on and then explained exactly what I should do to stop the bleed.” He added: “My experience was first class and it saved me a trip to A&E. I will definitely use the service again and I recommend it to everyone in Luton.”
