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28/05/2013
NHS 111 Line to Commence For Wales
Plans to establish a new NHS non-emergency helpline service in Wales is set to continue.
The news comes despite its counterpart in England being plagued with problems.
The 111 line would replace the NHS Direct as a 'gateway' to a number of different services.
The line is intended to allow access to services such as out-of-hours GPs, district nurses, and eventually social care, so that people will be less likely to end up taking themselves to hospital.
The service was launched in England in April but has been hit with numerous problems, with many patients struggling to get through to the 111 line. Other areas had to susend their lines after they failed to cope with demand, but NHS England has since said the service is showing signs of improvement.
However, British Medical Association (BMA) Welsh GP committee chairman Dr David Bailey fears the problems in England will also happen in Wales.
He said: "Inevitably you'll have a service which uses call handlers who are working from a computer script and they will be risk-averse.
"They will err on the side of safety all the time which means they'll more likely to refer patients to A&E rather than less. That will drive up attendance at casualty."
He added that the system would need a "big investment" as it had the potential to work well.
The Welsh government said its intention was to introduce a 111 line that is safe and reliable and which would become the first point of contact for everyone needing urgent, unscheduled care.
It said it was working with stakeholders including the BMA and was keen to use lessons learned from the introduction of NHS 111 in England to ensure there were no problems.
Proposals for its introduction to Wales are to be submitted to Health Minister Mark Drakeford over the summer.
(JP/IT)
The news comes despite its counterpart in England being plagued with problems.
The 111 line would replace the NHS Direct as a 'gateway' to a number of different services.
The line is intended to allow access to services such as out-of-hours GPs, district nurses, and eventually social care, so that people will be less likely to end up taking themselves to hospital.
The service was launched in England in April but has been hit with numerous problems, with many patients struggling to get through to the 111 line. Other areas had to susend their lines after they failed to cope with demand, but NHS England has since said the service is showing signs of improvement.
However, British Medical Association (BMA) Welsh GP committee chairman Dr David Bailey fears the problems in England will also happen in Wales.
He said: "Inevitably you'll have a service which uses call handlers who are working from a computer script and they will be risk-averse.
"They will err on the side of safety all the time which means they'll more likely to refer patients to A&E rather than less. That will drive up attendance at casualty."
He added that the system would need a "big investment" as it had the potential to work well.
The Welsh government said its intention was to introduce a 111 line that is safe and reliable and which would become the first point of contact for everyone needing urgent, unscheduled care.
It said it was working with stakeholders including the BMA and was keen to use lessons learned from the introduction of NHS 111 in England to ensure there were no problems.
Proposals for its introduction to Wales are to be submitted to Health Minister Mark Drakeford over the summer.
(JP/IT)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:Cloudy morning with patchy rain clearing away to the north. Direr, brighter weather following with spells of warm sunshine this afternoon and also a few light showers. Maximum temperature 18 °C.Tonight:It will be a mostly dry night with clear periods. Some patches of mist and fog will form towards dawn. Light winds. Minimum temperature 9 °C.
