Commenting on the launch of three new pilots for a new non-emergency healthcare number, Ambulance Service Network director Jo Webber said:
“At a time when the NHS has to save £15-20 billion pounds over the next five years, it has never been more important to make sure that patients who need the NHS quickly get access to the right care first time.
“A new phone number for people with urgent but not life-threatening health problems could help transform patient care and is something we had been proposing for some time. ‘111’ would be easy to remember, simple to use. It would help stop people feeling confused about who they should ring when they need help.
"This number will be the vital missing piece in the jigsaw of providing much more joined up urgent and emergency services. It will bring together GPs in and out of hours care, walk-in and urgent care centres, minor injuries units, social care and mental health services and community nursing teams.”
A copy of ‘A vision for emergency and urgent care – the role of ambulance services,’ can be found here.