'No extra strain' on services after 111 switch in Shropshire
No extra strain has been put on Shropshire's A&E departments or ambulance services since the county’s Shropdoc telephone service was replaced by NHS 111, health bosses say.
Shropshire made the switch last month, but some feared it would lead to worse care for people and added pressure on services.
But health commissioners claim this has not been the case and there has been no noticeable impact.
Dr Julian Povey, chair of Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "We are not seeing any real impact on A&E or ambulance figures. "Most ambulances are called by people dialling 999.
"Most attendances in A&E are from people turning up at the door.
"I've not had any feedback about any problems or challenges."
Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin were the only areas left in England last month which had not already made the change to fully integrate services so that patients access 'urgent care' services, including out-of-hours, via the 111 phone number.
The original plan was to move to the NHS 111 number in April, but there was a delay to ensure Welsh patients registered with English practices accessed the right number.
They will continue to use the Shropdoc number to access out-of-hours GP services until Powys gets the Welsh 111 later this year.
It has been announced that out-of-hours GP care in Shropshire will be provided by a new partnership from October.
The group which will run the service is a partnership between Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust and Shropshire Doctors Co-operative Ltd (Shropdoc).
The contract for the service, which has been provided by Shropdoc on its own until now, will begin on October 1.
