Use NHS 111 for all non-emergency health needs in Devon, including out of hours doctors.

People across Devon can now get help for all their non-emergency health needs by dialling a single number – 111.

NHS 111 has already replaced the previous NHS Direct and from yesterday (Monday 10 March), it replaced GP out-of-hours telephone numbers throughout the remainder of the county (Mid Devon and North Devon has already switched).

GP practices have changed their answerphone messages and websites to direct patients to call 111 when their surgery is closed. Anyone ringing their GP practice out of hours will now be advised to use the 111 number.

The call-handling function of the out-of-hours GP service currently being provided by Devon Doctors is being gradually migrated over to the NHS 111 service by 31 March 2014.

The clinical services for out-of-hours care continue to be provided by Devon Doctors. Patients wishing to access this service can now do so via 111. Devon Doctors will also continue to provide palliative care, district nurse and health professional lines.

NHS 111 is a free to use service and is available 24-hours-a-day, 365 days a year. When patients call 111 they will be assessed by trained call handlers, supported by clinicians, who will provide healthcare advice and direct people to the relevant local services. These services include walk-in centres, community nurses, emergency dentists or a late opening chemist.

If an emergency ambulance is required then this will be arranged automatically.

The new three-digit telephone service is a national initiative which has already been pioneered in Dorset.

Dr Mike Haugh, GP clinical lead for Devon’s NHS 111 service, said the easy-to-remember number was being introduced to make it easier for patients across the county to access local health services, when they have an urgent need but do not necessarily require an ambulance.

He said: “If you don’t need to call 999 then call 111. We are running a gradual transfer of out-of-hours calls to NHS 111, which began with North Devon in October 2013.

“We are working closely with GP practices in the area to ensure patients are directed appropriately and ensuring that the 111 number is highly visible to people.

“NHS 111 is a great service which will help patients navigate their way through the myriad of health and care services that are out there. It is easy and free to access and will point patients to the best place to meet their urgent healthcare needs.”

The Devon NHS 111 service is commissioned by Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (NEW Devon CCG), including Torbay. It is being provided by South Western Ambulance Service Foundation Trust (SWASFT) over a five-year contract term.

SWASFT has already been providing a successful 111 service in Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset and has already been performing well. The Devon 111 service covers the whole of Devon, including Plymouth and Torbay.

Dr Haugh added: “We have been careful in our planning and preparation for the Devon service and during testing the Department of Health praised SWASFT for their recruitment and training processes. We are very pleased with the performance in Devon, which is already comparable with some of the best in the country.

“With the advent of NHS 111, call handling in the out-of-hours period will no longer be provided by Devon Doctors. However, please be assured that organisation is alive and well and will continue to be responsible for the provision of the county’s out-of-hours primary care service.”

Dr Andy Smith, Medical Director for SWASFT, said: “We have been running the service in Dorset for almost a year and will be bringing that experience and expertise to North Devon. We have a Devon base in Exeter with local staff and all the local knowledge that comes from managing our successful ambulance service in the county too.”