Midlands ambulance chiefs to bid for 111 contract

The non-emergency number had a troubled start when it was launched in 2013, leading to the West Midlands Ambulance Service taking it over from NHS Direct.

Since then it has gone from strength to strength and bosses claim that it now is the best-run 111 service in the country.

Now the trust which runs the West Midlands Ambulance Service has taken the first step in its bid to retain the NHS 111 contract.

Commissioners set a deadline of early January to submit a pre-qualification questionnaire which sets out the basis of why the trust should be allowed to bid for the contract.

The trust's clinical commissioning chief Mark Docherty said that bosses would do everything that they could to continue running 111 from its Dudley base.

"Commissioners are looking to run a competitive tender process to provide the 111 service for a 48 month period, with an option to extend for a further 12 months," he said.

"Given the tremendous work that has been achieved by staff at Navigation Point since we took over in November 2013, we feel that we are well placed to offer a continued service," added Mr Docherty.

"As a trust we are committed to winning the contract and will do everything that we can to win the bidding process.

"We have already been able to demonstrate an innovative approach to the way we run the 111 service and we feel confident that we can build on that further," he said.

A decision on the contract is expected this summer.

NHS Direct ran the 111 service at its launch in April 2013, but announced its intention to give up the service just a few months later saying that the contracts were proving too expensive to fulfil.

It admitted it had encountered "significant problems" and that calls had taken "twice as long as expected".

The ambulance service stepped in and now answers 111 calls from Shropshire, Herefordshire, Warwickshire, Birmingham, Solihull, the Black Country and Coventry.

Since it took over the running more than one million calls have been made to 111 with the milestone call coming in during the festive period.

Liz Parker, who is the service's quality, service and improvement manager, said: "Reaching one million calls is a significant landmark for us and one that the staff are really proud of achieving.

"What makes it even better is the fact that the feedback we get from patients who have used the service is very favourable."