Government plans to replace the online and telephone advisory service NHS Direct with a new 24-hour phone line have come under fire from the British Medical Association (BMA), which says the initiative presents risks to patients.
NHS 111 is due to be introduced in April 2013 and will put the public directly in contact with healthcare services. However, the BMA wants the scheme to be delayed amid fears that telephone assessments by non-clinicians won’t reach high standards.
“Patients may end up in the wrong place, waiting longer, blocking A&E and using ambulances needlessly,” said Laurence Buckman, chair of the BMA’s GP Committee.
The Department for Health has said the new call advisers will undergo the same training as 999 operators.