Engaging with communities to improve NHS 111 service

Over the last two months, the South East London (SEL) NHS 111 programme team, alongside engagement colleagues, organised a series of face-to-face outreach sessions, aimed at connecting with groups and communities that have been identified as either facing barriers in accessing the NHS 111 service, not accessing the service at all or accessing the service much more than the general population. This is in addition to the survey we carried out earlier on in the year when we heard from over 400 local people.

The outreach initiative included visits to various community events and groups, such as:

• Black Inspire - community event in Lambeth
• Men in Sheds, an Age UK initiative in Bexley
• Orpington Health and Wellbeing Café, run by Orpington Primary Care Network in Bromley
• Bengali Women’s Group in Greenwich

These visits allowed us to gather feedback from over 100 individuals. The feedback collected will inform our plans to improve people’s experience of using the service and identify ways to overcome barriers that people are facing when accessing 111.

Key insights and recommendations

Insight gathered during these sessions highlighted issues such as:

• While the public generally has a good understanding of what NHS 111 is for, they may lack knowledge of certain capabilities that the service has, for example, the ability to issue an urgent supply of repeat prescriptions.
• The public seem comfortable with accessing 111 via telephone, stating that they are able to navigate the telephony menus and obtain an interpreter when needed.
• There are significant knowledge gaps regarding the different access routes to NHS 111, such as via 111 online and the NHS App.
• There is a strong preference for the telephone service over online access and reasons include lack of digital literacy, preference for personal interaction, and the belief of receiving quicker assistance via the telephony route.

Based on the feedback, several recommendations have been made to improve the service:

• Shorter wait times for call backs from clinicians.
• A reduction in the need to make multiple calls to receive help e.g. to 111, then to another service that they have been referred onto.
• Better knowledge of local services by the NHS 111 clinicians.

To effectively raise awareness and understanding of the NHS 111 services, it has been recommended we use a variety of communication channels to promote the service and what it offers, specifically targeting the demographics that are most in need.

The SEL NHS 111 programme team will continue conversations with south east London communities over the coming months, ensuring that more voices are heard and that the service is shaped to respond to people’s needs.