Share your experiences and what you think about the NHS 111 service in south east London

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Background

South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB) pays for and arranges the NHS 111 service on behalf of people living in south east London (SEL). Our current arrangements run out in 2026 and we, therefore, need to put in place a new NHS 111 service to begin in March 2026.

In preparation for putting in place a new service to replace the current one, we need to understand what works well, what doesn’t work well about the current service and what needs to change for our residents.

Be the voice for better NHS 111 in south east London

The team is currently recruiting two patient and public voice (PPV) partners to assist with the procurement of the SEL 111 Integrated Urgent Care (111 IUC) Service.

Update - the application deadline has not passed. Thank you to everyone who has sent an expression of interest and support this work. More information about the next steps will be published here.

How people got involved

We invited people living in Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark to tell us about their experiences of the NHS 111 service, what works well and what can be improved. The survey run for 8 weeks November 2023 - January 2024 and aimed to:

  • Understand if people have used the NHS 111 service
  • Learn what people know about the service and receive feedback about their experience of using the service
  • Identify how people would like the service to change or improve
  • Hear their recommendations to support improvement

The survey was promoted to members of the public in south east London, as well as to over 1,000 members of the South East London People’s Panel. It remained open for eight weeks, during which time we received a total of 407 responses.

The survey is now closed. Thank you to everyone who took part and you can read key findings and full report here.

Key findings

NHS 111 current service

  • Our findings shows that although people generally have a good understanding of the role of the NHS 111 service, more promotion is needed around the service’s capabilities.
  • More than 50% of respondents reported having used the service within the past year, with the majority choosing to access the service via telephone.
  • The primary reasons for accessing the NHS 111 service included seeking clarity on the urgency of their conditions (34%), utilising it as an alternative to the GP service during out-of-hours periods (30%), or when unable to secure a timely appointment (19%).
  • Those who had used the service acknowledged and appreciated the helpful advice and support provided once they had spoken with a clinician, but expressed concerns about long wait times for callbacks.
  • Overall, the majority of respondents expressed satisfaction with the service received, as they were able to obtain the necessary advice and/or care. However, some individuals reported dissatisfaction, flagging issues such as not receiving the advice or care needed, frustration with the triage process, and long waits for callbacks.

New NHS 111 service

  • The majority of respondents prefer telephone (rather than online) access to NHS 111 services, finding it more accessible, easier to explain their concerns, and more reassuring to speak directly with a person.
  • Among the survey respondents, over 69% expressed a preference for receiving a callback as soon as the clinician is available (rather than at a prearranged time) to obtain the help and advice they need. Of these, 55% indicated a preference for callbacks as soon as the clinician is available at any time, day or night, while 13% preferred this during daytime hours only. Preferences for callbacks varied depending on the health condition, urgency of the situation, and other pre-existing complex health issues.
  • Respondents emphasised the importance of receiving callbacks within 4 hours for non-urgent issues and within 30 minutes for urgent health conditions.
  • Language barriers, digital exclusion, and accessibility challenges for individuals with physical and sensory impairments, as well as socioeconomic deprivation, were identified as the most common barriers to using the service or limiting access to it.
  • Over 80% (326) of respondents said that they value the service, considering NHS 111 an essential resource. They expressed their desire to continue having access to the service in the future. Some examples of respondents’ comments about the importance of the service are noted below:

'Yes. I have found 111 exceptionally helpful, informative and efficient.'

'Yes, as an autistic person I hate going to A&E. Too many people overwhelms me and I know this would make my situation a lot worse'

'It is an extremely essential part of the health service especially since the pandemic and I am unable to get a face to face appointment with my doctor- I feel lucky to have this service available because of this'

Read detailed report

Other ways to involve people

Update summer 2024

Over the summer 2024, the SEL 111 Programme Team, alongside the engagement team, has organised a series of face-to-face outreach sessions, aimed at connecting with groups and communities that have been identified as facing barriers in accessing the NHS 111 service, not accessing the service or accessing the service much more than the general population.

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
  • Indoamerican Refugee & Migrant Organisation and Latin American Women's Rights Service
  • South East London LDA Forum

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.

Read more and see key insights and recommendations

Next steps

The NHS 111 service survey results are supporting the redesign of the NHS 111 service for south east London. Feedback from the survey respondents allows SEL ICB to evaluate our current NHS 111 service from the patient perspective, as well as ensuring that in the redesign we keep those elements that patients value and change things where we can to further improve things for patients.

The findings will inform our approach to developing the specification, as well as performance targets that we will set for the new service. We will continue to collect feedback on our proposals and adapt to respond to the needs of our people and communities in south east London. This report will inform our plans to improve patient experience of using the service and identify ways to overcome barriers that people are facing when using the service. We will be working with south east London borough colleagues to shape the service models based on recommendations from this report.

Background

South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB) pays for and arranges the NHS 111 service on behalf of people living in south east London (SEL). Our current arrangements run out in 2026 and we, therefore, need to put in place a new NHS 111 service to begin in March 2026.

In preparation for putting in place a new service to replace the current one, we need to understand what works well, what doesn’t work well about the current service and what needs to change for our residents.

Be the voice for better NHS 111 in south east London

The team is currently recruiting two patient and public voice (PPV) partners to assist with the procurement of the SEL 111 Integrated Urgent Care (111 IUC) Service.

Update - the application deadline has not passed. Thank you to everyone who has sent an expression of interest and support this work. More information about the next steps will be published here.

How people got involved

We invited people living in Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark to tell us about their experiences of the NHS 111 service, what works well and what can be improved. The survey run for 8 weeks November 2023 - January 2024 and aimed to:

  • Understand if people have used the NHS 111 service
  • Learn what people know about the service and receive feedback about their experience of using the service
  • Identify how people would like the service to change or improve
  • Hear their recommendations to support improvement

The survey was promoted to members of the public in south east London, as well as to over 1,000 members of the South East London People’s Panel. It remained open for eight weeks, during which time we received a total of 407 responses.

The survey is now closed. Thank you to everyone who took part and you can read key findings and full report here.

Key findings

NHS 111 current service

  • Our findings shows that although people generally have a good understanding of the role of the NHS 111 service, more promotion is needed around the service’s capabilities.
  • More than 50% of respondents reported having used the service within the past year, with the majority choosing to access the service via telephone.
  • The primary reasons for accessing the NHS 111 service included seeking clarity on the urgency of their conditions (34%), utilising it as an alternative to the GP service during out-of-hours periods (30%), or when unable to secure a timely appointment (19%).
  • Those who had used the service acknowledged and appreciated the helpful advice and support provided once they had spoken with a clinician, but expressed concerns about long wait times for callbacks.
  • Overall, the majority of respondents expressed satisfaction with the service received, as they were able to obtain the necessary advice and/or care. However, some individuals reported dissatisfaction, flagging issues such as not receiving the advice or care needed, frustration with the triage process, and long waits for callbacks.

New NHS 111 service

  • The majority of respondents prefer telephone (rather than online) access to NHS 111 services, finding it more accessible, easier to explain their concerns, and more reassuring to speak directly with a person.
  • Among the survey respondents, over 69% expressed a preference for receiving a callback as soon as the clinician is available (rather than at a prearranged time) to obtain the help and advice they need. Of these, 55% indicated a preference for callbacks as soon as the clinician is available at any time, day or night, while 13% preferred this during daytime hours only. Preferences for callbacks varied depending on the health condition, urgency of the situation, and other pre-existing complex health issues.
  • Respondents emphasised the importance of receiving callbacks within 4 hours for non-urgent issues and within 30 minutes for urgent health conditions.
  • Language barriers, digital exclusion, and accessibility challenges for individuals with physical and sensory impairments, as well as socioeconomic deprivation, were identified as the most common barriers to using the service or limiting access to it.
  • Over 80% (326) of respondents said that they value the service, considering NHS 111 an essential resource. They expressed their desire to continue having access to the service in the future. Some examples of respondents’ comments about the importance of the service are noted below:

'Yes. I have found 111 exceptionally helpful, informative and efficient.'

'Yes, as an autistic person I hate going to A&E. Too many people overwhelms me and I know this would make my situation a lot worse'

'It is an extremely essential part of the health service especially since the pandemic and I am unable to get a face to face appointment with my doctor- I feel lucky to have this service available because of this'

Read detailed report

Other ways to involve people

Update summer 2024

Over the summer 2024, the SEL 111 Programme Team, alongside the engagement team, has organised a series of face-to-face outreach sessions, aimed at connecting with groups and communities that have been identified as facing barriers in accessing the NHS 111 service, not accessing the service or accessing the service much more than the general population.

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
  • Indoamerican Refugee & Migrant Organisation and Latin American Women's Rights Service
  • South East London LDA Forum

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.

Read more and see key insights and recommendations

Next steps

The NHS 111 service survey results are supporting the redesign of the NHS 111 service for south east London. Feedback from the survey respondents allows SEL ICB to evaluate our current NHS 111 service from the patient perspective, as well as ensuring that in the redesign we keep those elements that patients value and change things where we can to further improve things for patients.

The findings will inform our approach to developing the specification, as well as performance targets that we will set for the new service. We will continue to collect feedback on our proposals and adapt to respond to the needs of our people and communities in south east London. This report will inform our plans to improve patient experience of using the service and identify ways to overcome barriers that people are facing when using the service. We will be working with south east London borough colleagues to shape the service models based on recommendations from this report.

  • CLOSED: The application deadline has passed.

    South East London 111 Integrated Urgent Care Procurement Patient and Public Voice - Partner expression of interest form

    South East London (SEL) Integrated Care Board would like to recruit two patient and public voice (PPV)  partners to assist with the procurement of the SEL 111 Integrated Urgent Care (111 IUC) Service. The current 111 IUC service contract will expire in March 2026 and a new service needs to be commissioned for residents of SEL. 

    We are looking for people with lived experience of accessing NHS services, particularly parents of young children, carers, and those with long-term conditions.

    Share South East London 111 Integrated Urgent Care Procurement Patient and Public Voice - Partner expression of interest form on Facebook Share South East London 111 Integrated Urgent Care Procurement Patient and Public Voice - Partner expression of interest form on Twitter Share South East London 111 Integrated Urgent Care Procurement Patient and Public Voice - Partner expression of interest form on Linkedin Email South East London 111 Integrated Urgent Care Procurement Patient and Public Voice - Partner expression of interest form link
Page last updated: 25 Nov 2024, 09:24 AM