Alternative to 999 takes pressure off Blackpool A&E

The hospital was among the first to pilot NHS 111 First, a national initiative offering people an alternative to calling 999 if they need urgent care.

Patients are assessed and directed to the most appropriate service, with those who need to go to the emergency department at BVH given an appointment, so they do not have to sit for long periods in the waiting room.

The aim is for patients to get the right treatment, first time and in a shorter period of time.

A meeting of the board of the Blackpool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust heard it was now hoped to develop the service further, including with direct bookings for emergency department appointments from GPs.

A report to the board said between August 25 2020 and November 30 2020, 893 patients had attended a pre-booked appointment in the emergency department booked via NHS 111 First, which was an average of nine patients per day.

On average 89 per cent of patients were diverted to an alternative to the emergency department via the use of the clinical assessment service, which was the highest rate in the region.

The majority of these patients were offered an appointment in an urgent treatment centre.

The report adds “the majority of patients contacting NHS 111 First access the service out of hours for access to primary care, or who have minor injuries seeking to pre-book/enquire access to an urgent treatment centre.”

Calls are handled through the North West Ambulance Service which, on the Fylde Coast, is managed by social enterprise company FCMS from its offices on Vicarage Lane in Marton.

In November it revealed plans to take on up to 60 new members of staff to meet demand.

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