NHS 111 'chaos' as provider quits

NHS Direct said its 111 contracts were 'financially unsustainable'
31 July 2013

The troubled NHS 111 service has been thrown into turmoil as one of the main providers announced it was planning to pull out of its contracts due to severe financial problems.

NHS Direct provides the non-emergency phone line in nine regions of England but has said that it is "seeking to withdraw from the contracts it entered into". A spokeswoman said the contracts, which cover more than a third of the population of England, were "financially unsustainable".

While officials have promised that patients who live in affected areas will "continue to receive a prompt and safe service", health unions warned that some parts of the service were "in chaos".

The NHS 111 line, which replaced NHS Direct as the number to call for urgent but non-emergency care, has been riddled with controversy since its inception on April 1. The line suffered many teething problems, with patients complaining of calls going unanswered, poor advice given and calls being diverted to the wrong part of the country.

Just a month after its launch, leading medics warned that the "problematic" roll-out of the system left many patients not knowing where to turn. And NHS England launched an investigation into the advice line after a number of potentially serious incidents, including three deaths, were linked to the service.

NHS Direct originally won 11 of the 46 contracts across England to provide the 111 service. Earlier this month the organisation announced that it would be unable to provide the service in North Essex and Cornwall.

But now it is also planning to stop providing the service in Somerset, Buckinghamshire, east London and the City, south east London, Sutton and Merton, West Midlands, Lancashire and Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire.

NHS Direct announced that it was preparing for a "planned withdrawal" from the contracts after projecting a £26 million deficit for the coming financial year.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: "This is a mess of ministers' own making. Jeremy Hunt was warned that this would happen but he chose to plough on regardless. It's not good enough Jeremy Hunt hiding behind his officials. He must take responsibility and put a plan in place to ensure a safe and sustainable service in all parts of England."

He added: "David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt need to act urgently, get back in to the office today and put in place a plan to ensure the continuity of patient care. The NHS 111 model they have introduced is fundamentally flawed. It has led to unsustainable pressure on A&E departments."

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