New "111" could transform patient care
Wednesday, 12 August, 2009
A consultation on a new national three-digit number "111" designed to make it
easier for patients to access urgent care wherever they are was launched by Ofcom
last month.
In the final report on his review of the NHS, Lord Darzi recommended that the NHS continue to explore options for a single national three-digit number providing access to advice and information on non-emergency care. Asking Ofcom to consult on
providing a number is the next stage in the process.
"111" will not replace existing local telephone services or NHS Direct; it will provide patients with an additional choice in how they find urgent care. In the long-term, "111" could become the single number to access non-emergency care services in England, including NHS Direct. 999 will remain the number to call in an emergency situation.
If the Ofcom consultation finds that a three-digit telephone number should be allocated, pilot schemes will be launched next year to identify the best model for the number.
The Department of Health is working closely with the NHS to make sure any new number, which is introduced, complements existing services. Commenting on the
Ofcom consultation Ambulance Service Network Director Liz Kendall said: "A new phone number for people with urgent but not life-threatening health problems could help transform patient care and is something the Ambulance Service Network has been calling for over a year.
"111" would be easy to remember, simple to use, and help stop people feeling confused about who they should ring when they need help. But to work properly,
"111" must be just the front end of a much better system of healthcare which ensures patients get the right services, in the right place, at the right time.
We need services to work together more effectively and treat more patients in the community or at home when it is safe to do so. "111" should therefore be the 'icing on the cake' of much wider changes to the emergency and urgent healthcare system so we can provide a range of urgent services 24/7 including GPs in and out of hours, walk-in and urgent care centres, minor injuries units, social care and mental health services and community nursing teams."
www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/three_number_non_emergency/
