The 111 service will be expanded to include increased access to specialist paediatric advice for children and direct access to urgent mental health support, as part of a blueprint set out by NHS England to relieve pressure on urgent and emergency care services.
This will see some children referred directly to a same-day appointment with a specialist rather than attending A&E, avoiding hundreds of unnecessary hospital admissions. Direct access to urgent mental health support using NHS 111 is also being rolled out right across the country – with people being able to select the mental health option when they call up for help.
The new plans will see an increased number of clinicians – including retired staff and returners – working in NHS 111 to provide the enhanced offer to patients, with flexible working options available.
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‘The NHS has experienced the start of a winter like no other – the threat of the flu and covid ‘twindemic’ became a reality and that was alongside huge demand for all services – from ambulance and A&E services to mental health and GP appointments,’ said NHS Chief Executive, Amanda Pritchard.
‘It is thanks to meticulous early planning and the hard work of NHS staff that despite these significant pressures, we have continued to deliver care to hundreds of thousands of people day in and day out.’
NHS 24/7 system control centres, set up this winter in every local area, are being extended to run all year round to manage demand and capacity across the entire country by constantly tracking beds and attendances – taking stock of all activity and performance.
These data-driven war ‘rooms’, led by teams of clinicians and experts, enable rapid decisions to be made to any emerging challenges including where hospitals can benefit from mutual aid, or to divert ambulances to another nearby hospital with more capacity.
‘Health leaders will welcome the expansion of NHS 111 as a vital front door for children and young people with mental health concerns to get the support they need. Hopefully this will lead to earlier access to therapies and treatments, which in turn will reduce the number of people reaching a crisis state where they end up calling 999 or in A&Es with nowhere else to go, or worse,’ said Sean Duggan, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation’s mental health network.
‘In particular, health leaders are worried about the high numbers of children and young people needing support for eating disorders with there having been a 72% increase in referrals for urgent support over the last two years. While the NHS will do everything it can to support all children and young people, further investment is needed in early identification including in schools and to understand more about what is driving the high levels of mental illness we are seeing since the pandemic.’