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Call centres’ triage tools to blame for failings of NHS 111

The lack of GP input into the call centre is having a detrimental effect (‘Analysis: NHS 111 debacle piles pressure on GPs’). More calls are going to GP out-of-hours services, leading to a necessity to speak to a GP.

Expected savings in the out-of-hours service are not going to be realised if NHS 111 has to retain this triage component.

If they continue to use the same tools, then the urgent care system in each area will not be robust enough to cope with whatever the call centre sends out.

From Dr Ashok Vora, West Heath, Birmingham