From today the NHS 111 service in Kent, Medway and Sussex is being enhanced and it can now offer access to a wider range of health care professionals.
GPs, paramedics, nurses, mental health professionals, dental nurses and pharmacists are all part of the new NHS111 clinical assessment service which launched today, Thursday, October 1.
People who call 111 – free from mobiles or landlines 24/7 – or access the service via the website will speak to call handlers and/or healthcare professionals who will be able to assess symptoms over the phone, issue prescriptions and directly book people into onward care appointments if they need one.
It is the start of a number of improvements to the NHS 111 service for people living in Sussex.
Over the coming months, NHS 111 will integrate more closely with South East Coast Ambulance Service‘s (SECAmb) 999 service and existing out-of-hours care, which means that people who call or visit 111 online will be able to be access evening and weekend GP appointments, home visiting services, and appointments at minor injury units, urgent treatment centres and A&E departments. This is known as direct booking and NHS 111 First and we will share more on this in coming weeks as it prepares to launch in Sussex.
The new clinical assessment service is a result of a new contract for NHS 111 in Kent, Medway and Sussex.
The new five-year contract was awarded to SECAmb as the lead provider, and they are working in conjunction with not-for-profit social enterprise Integrated Care 24 (IC24).
SECAmb and IC24 already provided NHS 111 to parts of the south east separately but will now work together to deliver a more joined up service.
Dr Victoria Beattie, NHS111 Clinical Lead for Sussex, said: ‘NHS 111 will be pivotal in ensuring patients get access to the right care, at the right time and place for their symptoms. The new clinical assessment service will mean patients can talk to a doctor or healthcare professional sooner, giving patients real confidence in the care they will receive.’
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