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Kent’s chaos-hit new NHS phone hotline has had to hire 200 extra staff after it failed to predict a huge demand, it has been revealed.
Catastrophic failures on the 111 line have been detailed for the first time in a grilling by Medway councillors.
The non-emergency number was switched on in March as a one-stop-shop for people with minor ailments across Kent, Medway, Surrey and Sussex.
But in its first five weekends about half of callers were hanging up in frustration because they couldn’t get through.
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Managers were expecting peaks of about 600 calls on Saturdays and 400 on Sundays - but the reality was vastly more, at 800 calls on Saturdays and 650 on Sundays.
The number was due to take over completely from the NHS Direct hotline and out-of-hours phone services, like the Medway On Call Care (MedOCC) hotline, but these changes have been delayed several times and have still not been completed.
Now the hotline has had to put an extra 200 staff through a 10-week training programme at a high - but as yet undisclosed - cost.
Geraint Davies, director of commercial services at the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, which runs 111 with the private firm Harmoni, said: “There were insufficient people in the room to pick up the phone.
“Unfortunately the plans we had didn’t meet the actual demand being placed on the service when we went live, which led to pressure on the system and led to the service not providing what it was supposed to, to the public. We accept that.
“People were putting the phone down on us because we weren’t picking the phone up 95% of the time within 60 seconds.”
He added some calls had been routed through to a wrong number and this was now fixed.
The problems, said Mr Davies, were because out of hours providers and NHS Direct gave SECAmb incorrect predictions on weekend call volumes when he bid to run the service.
“This was a national issue that all the 111 numbers had nationally,” he said. ”You saw the press, you saw the national news.
“Luckily for us we weren’t closed down. Some systems were switched off.
“We’ve been on daily telephone conferences for weeks. I’ve been in every Saturday and Sunday working believe it or not in the 111 system. We’ve now gone down from daily conference calls to weekly conference calls.”
He was working to ensure patients would be safe, he said, adding: “We’ve also had investigations into any major incidents.”
Mr Davies said a rectification plan is now in place. If there is a spike in demand, 111 can use 999 call handlers. Several council health representatives are visiting the 111 base next week.
Cllr Wendy Purdy (Con), vice-chairman of the Medway health scrutiny committee, where Mr Davies appeared, said: “One has to ask oneself, why was this not done in the beginning? If it was a private business it would be bankrupt by now.”
Committee member Cllr Vaughan Hewett (Con) asked whether 111 would go bankrupt. “I would have thought it would be an increase of about 25% in costs,” he said.
Mr Davies admitted negotiations were under way to increase NHS funding. “It’s not going to go bankrupt,” he said. “But it’s a pressure we will not be able to sustain in perpuity.”
Labour health spokesman Cllr Teresa Murray revealed teenagers had been hired as call handlers from MidKent College, where she works.
“I regard people with only 10 weeks’ training as newly-trained,” she said. “These are young people who definitely deserve a chance but who would have a much longer journey to travel before they could be a good operator.”
Mr Davies said if call handlers did not know what to do, they could put their hand up and they would be helped by a fully-trained clinician.
He added bosses had tested to see if the recent surge in A&E attendances was due to the problems with 111, but they had found no link.
But it emerged patients can still call MedOCC directly, even though its phone system in Chatham Maritime was meant to be replaced by 111 in April.
The takeover was initially delayed until July but it has now been delayed again. A new date has not been set. Currently that means patients can call either number.
In a statement issued today, a spokesman said: “SECAmb has been working hard with the commissioners of the NHS 111 service across our region to address any issues and concerns that were identified during the early stages of its implementation in Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
"We have already taken necessary action to improve the service we provide, which includes recruiting more call advisors to manage a far higher than anticipated demand.
"We are confident the improvements are being made but are not complacent and will continue to work hard to ensure patients receive the service they expect and deserve.”
