Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Bridgen Excerpts

Tuesday 26th April 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Burns]

I am sorry, but the hon. Lady is a little bit confused. She says, rather dismissively, that the calls are being answered by telephonists. These are non-medically trained people who have nurses and GPs available to give them help and advice as and when the callers demand it, because of the complaint or problem that they are raising. The beauty of the 111 service is that people do not have to wait to be called back, as they do with NHS Direct. Instead, the people trained to help callers will point them towards the appropriate care—which in some cases will be the emergency services—and they are right to do so when this has been clinically determined.

[Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)]

Can my right hon. Friend assure the House that 111 telephone operators will be trained to the same level as 999 telephone operators?

[Mr Burns]

Yes, absolutely.