This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
NHS 111 set to roll out A&E booking service
Under a new scheme to help A&E departments with social distancing recommendations, patients will be urged to call 111 before attending A&E to help regulate the number of people in hospital waiting areas.
The 111 First programme is intended to schedule slots at A&E to help maintain social distancing in hospitals, or direct patients to other services such as a GP or pharmacist. It means that those in need of care for a serious but non-life threatening condition will be able to book an appointment at their nearest A&E to avoid a long wait at hospital. In serious cases, 111 operators would send an ambulance to take a patient in immediately.
The scheme is currently being piloted in Plymouth and Cornwall, but is likely to be extended to other parts of the country between now and the end of the year.
Walk-in patients and emergency admissions to hospitals in England fell dramatically in the first few months of lockdown. NHS England data indicates that 0.9 million A&E attendances were recorded in April 2020, down 57 per cent from 2.1 million in April 2019.
Emergency admissions to A&E departments at hospitals in England also showed a sharp fall, dropping 39 per cent from 535,226 in April 2019 to 326,581 in April 2020.
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