NHS 111 service launch delayed for more than half the country

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Exclusive More than half the country will not meet the original deadline for rolling out the NHS 111 next week, with existing out-of-hours providers and NHS Direct providing emergency cover until the new service is ready to begin.

Pulse has learnt that 17 out of 47 regions - representing 53% of the population - will not be able to meet the original deadline for the rollout of the NHS 111 service, with some areas not even able to give a date when the new service will be up and running.

NHS managers have delayed the rollout to enable them to iron out the remaining technical and staffing issues at the new service.

It comes after the GPC withdrew its support for the scheme following the chaos GPs encountered when the NHS 111 number was ?soft launched? in many regions last week.

Although in some areas patients will still be able to get through to an urgent care service by dialing 111, this will be to the original out-of-hours service or NHS Direct, rather than the new NHS 111 service.

In NHS West Midlands, Wayne Bartlett, NHS 111 regional project director, said the rollout had encountered ?operational and technical issues? and the SHA had to delay the launch past 1 April.

http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/20002420.article#.UVGKZBzASSo

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