Extra calls to NHS 111 during holiday period in Shropshire
Shropshire's NHS 111 helpline dealt with hundreds of extra calls during Christmas week as the number of people using the service jumped by more than a third, it was revealed today.
More than 950 people called the service in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin between December 23 and 29 – about 35 per cent more than the 702 who rang the helpline between December 16 and 22.
To cope with the extra demand, extra nurses and paramedics were present within the West Midlands Ambulance Service call centre, working together with the health advisers manning the phones.
Despite the increase in calls, the number of calls answered within 60 seconds in both weeks remained constant at 97.6 per cent – ahead of the national target of 95 per cent.
West Midlands Ambulance Service has been running the regional helpline since November 11.
GPs from Shropshire out-of-hours medical service ShropDoc had been bailing out the controversial Government helpline, that provides out-of-hours medical help, since its disastrous "soft-launch" in March.
Last year health advice and information service NHS Direct announced it would stop providing the 111 helpline service in the West Midlands by early October.
Ambulance service chief executive officer Anthony Marsh said today: "I would like to thank all the staff for their hard work and dedication.
"I know how much work has gone into ensuring patients receive a high quality service over this extended Christmas period."
Rachael Ellis, NHS 111 project lead for the West Midlands region, said: "This was a very testing time for the service.
"However, we are pleased to say that the preparation that was put into place helped to deliver a safe and effective service; helping to relieve the pressure on health services across the region."
Nationally, more than 14,000 calls were made to NHS 111 between December 23 and 26.
Meanwhile, Shropshire's two main hospitals said they have been coping well over the Christmas period, with no increase in patients compared to other times of the year.
Health bosses said today that no operations have been cancelled at either the Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal hospitals during the Christmas periods.
It comes after new national figures showed more than 8,000 procedures have been scrapped around the country since November 1.
