July date for new NHS number launch
A new out-of-hours GP phone number is expected to go live next month after a two-week delay.
Health officials in Shropshire met to go over final details of the changeover.
It had been hoped the move to the NHS111 number would go live on July 3.
But the postponement of Powys’s hangeover means it will now take place on July 17.
Dr Julie Davies, Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) director of performance and delivery, said the delay was necessary to ensure Welsh patients registered with English practices accessed the right number.
But following the meeting, she said it was believed the new date was “achievable”.
The logistics will involve porting the existing 0333 number to a Vodafone platform.
Almost 5,000 patients from 13 practices will be affected.
Letters to the Welsh patients affected by the switch will go out imminently, informing them of which number they should use.
Dr Davies said a record would be kept of those who used the wrong number, adding: “Ultimately, we will have to write again in three months to remind people but that may be the only cast-iron way we can get feedback.”
Residents in Powys are now expected to go over the NHS111 number from October 1.
The English practices affected are: Bishops Castle Surgery; The Meadows Medical Practice, Craven Arms; Westbury Medical Centre; Cambrian Medical Practice, Oswestry; The Caxton Surgery, Oswestry; Plas Ffynnon Medical Centre, Oswestry; Worthen Medical Practice; Churchmere Medical Practice, Ellesmere and Whitchurch; Dodington Surgery, Whitchurch; Knockin Medical Centre; Wem and Prees Medical Practice; Pontesbury Medical Practice; Marysville Medical Practice, Shrewsbury.
