NHS 111, the new non-emergency number for accessing local health services, has been switched on in Lancashire.
The 111 service was officially launched by the Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, on December 1 during a visit to Fylde Coast Medical Services (FCMS) in Blackpool.
FCMS is one of three organisations working together to provide NHS 111 in Lancashire. The other two are NHS Direct and North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
The 111 service is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day and offers help and advice for minor injuries and illness, when it’s not an emergency. Calls to 111 are free from all phones, including mobiles.For emergencies, 999 continues to be the number to call.
NHS 111 is staffed by a team of highly trained advisers, supported by clinically trained specialists such as nurses and paramedics, who use a clinical assessment system to ask questions and assess the callers’ needs to determine the most appropriate course of action.
Callers can be given advice, information and reassurance, referred to local services such as emergency dentists, GPs, out-of-hours services and pharmacies or have an ambulance sent to them, if necessary.
People can call the number when they don’t know where to go for medical help or don’t have a GP to call, if they think they need to go to the Emergency Department or use another NHS urgent care service, or for information about what to do next. This will be particularly useful outside of GP surgery hours and for people who are away from home.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "The new NHS 111 service means that the majority of people in Lancashire, when they need help fast, can now access the care and advice that is right for them, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year through just one simple number.
"This marks another important step in modernising the NHS and giving patients greater control and choice over their healthcare."
The new service is set to go national by April 2013. Pilots are currently taking place in County Durham, Nottingham, Lincolnshire, Luton, Isle of White, Derbyshire and now Lancashire. More pilots are planned for next year with the Government recently announcing that 10 million more people will be covered by NHS 111 by April 2012.
Visit www.northwest111.nhs.uk for more information.
