UK Health Radio Medical News Update
Alarming news today from the
National Audit Office who report that a survey of 878 people in England had
found one in five did not know about the new 111 phone service intended for
those who needed to speak to someone urgently about a medical problem. The survey also showed that the numbers of
people using the out-of-hours services had fallen by a third in six years to
5.8 million for the period 2013-14. The watchdog said the drop in usage may be
the result of the fact that people did not know about the service or perhaps
lacked confidence in using it.
The findings come after a
turbulent few years for out-of-hours care. In 2004 GPs were allowed to opt out
of providing services - and nine in 10 have done just that leaving it to local
health bodies to find alternative providers. During the same time however,
visits to A&E were found to have increased. Patients have often reported
that they were having trouble accessing services or had not been happy with the
service that they had received.
Recent
results of a patient survey that were released earlier this month showed that 17%
reported they felt services were poor.
The head of the National Audit Office,
Amyas
Morse was quoted by the BBC as saying "NHS England has much to do to help
secure improvements throughout the system and to increase its oversight.
It should also work to raise
public awareness of how and when patients should contact out-of-hours GP
services and needs to be prepared to take the lead in integrating these
services effectively with other parts of the urgent care system."
But
in response Health Minister Lord Howe said improvements were already being
made. He said 111 was helping to direct patients to the right place, while GPs
were now taking on more of a role in challenging out-of-hours care where patients
had expressed concerns.
Amanda Thomas
UK Health Radio Medical News Update
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