NHS 111 helpline put on hold after safety warnings
Half of NHS 111 lines yet to be launched after ‘national roll-out’ falls flat
The planned roll-out of the NHS 111 non-emergency line across the entire country today has been aborted amid concerns it is wasting emergency services’ time and putting patients at risk.
By Nick Collins, Science Correspondent
7:30AM BST 01 Apr 2013
Easter Monday was initially meant to mark the national launch of the telephone service, which is replacing NHS Direct, but half of all 111 lines are still inactive.
Just one local service, in the North of Tyne and Tees area, will be opened today, joining 22 which are already running as pilots, but a further 23 are not yet operational.
Doctors claimed health chiefs had been forced to backtrack on plans to roll out the service after repeated warnings that the system was inefficient and could compromise patient safety.
NHS England, which is overseeing the scheme, had already admitted that not all services would be ready in time for April 1 but it was still widely expected that most would meet the deadline.
The 111 helpline, which is staffed by non-medical operators, is designed to provide advice while diverting serious cases to out-of-hours doctors or sending an ambulance
But some pilot services were cancelled within hours of launching amid reports of elderly patients waiting hours for ambulances and paramedics being sent to treat patients with hiccups and sore throats.
Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the British Medical Association’s GP Committee, said: “I am pleased that [NHS England] has listened to the advice they have been getting after the past two years – that this was a serious mistake.
“The whole idea was that this was meant to be NHS Direct “light”, but this is so light it is in danger of floating away. You cannot do this without doctors and nurses.
“I would like this to work, so let’s hope it does and that they slow it down to whatever speed it takes to get it right.”
Jeremy Hunt, the Health Minister, announced in 2010 that 111 would be rolled out across the country by April 2013, with April 1 earmarked as the national launch date.
Last year NHS England accepted that some local services may need to wait until June to launch, but the scheme was still expected to go live in 14 areas in April. It remains unclear how many will become active before the end of the month.
Last month a pilot system in Manchester was shut down just 11 hours after being launched after doctors learned that patients had been waiting hours for help.
In West Midlands it was abandoned after three days because the provider could not cope with demand, while Wiltshire paramedics reported that they had been dispatched to treat cases of sore throat, earache and one patient who was stuck in a chair.
NHS England said that one service would open today, in the North of Tyne and Tees area, but NHS Direct phone lines would also remain active in the area until the end of the bank holiday.
A spokeswoman said: “This service will be run by the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, already one of the most successful 111 call handling providers.
“We expect they will continue to deliver a safe and sustainable service for patients. All other planned service launches are currently under review.”
