Calling up a storm
Thomas Meek looks at the troubled history of NHS 111 in the first of a short series of features looking at the major healthcare IT initiatives of the present government in the run up to the general election.
Digital Patient

Put GPs on NHS 111 calls – Hakin
Providers of the NHS 111 telephone service should have GPs on hand to provide clinical advice at peak times, according to NHS England’s national director of commissioning operations.
News

NHS England to spend £33m on 111 tech
NHS England will spend £33m on re-procuring technical elements of NHS 111, a board paper has revealed.
News

Scotland live with 111
Scotland has gone live with NHS 111 as the new contact number for the Scottish health advice helpline NHS 24; a year after England began its troubled launch of the service.
News

HSCIC takes NHS Direct services
The Health and Social Care Information Centre will take over some NHS Direct services, such as online symptom checkers, from April this year.
News

Last 111 sites live in February
The last NHS 111 sites are due to go live with the service in February 2014, nearly a year after originally planned.
News

NHS 111 increased ambulance call-outs
NHS 111 increased the use of ambulances in England during its first year of operation, a new study shows.
News

NHS Direct to close next March
NHS Direct announced today that it will “cease operations” at the end of March 2014 and that its services will be commissioned to other organisations.
News

NHS 111 procurements on hold
Clinical commissioning groups have been told not to agree any NHS 111 contracts to start before April 2015 while NHS England considers its options for the future of the service.
News

NHS Direct faces uncertain future
Ambulance trusts and GP out-of-hours providers will take over NHS 111 services from NHS Direct by the end of November.
News