Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 27
27
We welcome the news that the Government and NHSE/I are piloting a ‘111 dial first’...
Recommendation
We welcome the news that the Government and NHSE/I are piloting a ‘111 dial first’ scheme to support the triaging of patients before they attend A&E departments. The introduction of an expectation that a patient will call first before walking into an A&E department is a sensible change to support A&E departments during the pandemic, and has much to commend it as a long-term reform. We recommend that the Department and NHSE/I provide us with an update by the end of November 2020 on the progress of these pilots and other steps that are being taken, in both the short and long-term, to support A&E departments. (Paragraph 170) Technology and digital alternatives (“telemedicine”)
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The Government welcomes the Committee’s support for the ‘111 dial first’ scheme. NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE/I) are piloting this scheme in a number of areas across the country. The aim of the scheme is to support the triaging of patients before they attend A&E departments. This will help to ensure that patients are seen in the right place, at the right time, by the right person. The pilots are being closely monitored and evaluated. The findings from the pilots will be used to inform the wider rollout of the scheme.