NHS 111

(asked on 18th April 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training staff of the NHS 111 Service receive to ensure that all avenues of clinical assessment are considered before callers are signposted to the local Accident and Emergency Department.


Answered by
Stephen Hammond Portrait
Stephen Hammond
This question was answered on 30th April 2019

The NHS Pathways License for NHS 111 providers requires that call handlers/health advisors receive 10 weeks’ training, comprising a mix of classroom-based learning, supervised practice and four weeks’ consolidated practice. Additionally, clinicians operating NHS Pathways are expected to receive 14 weeks’ training, including additional learning, along with supervised and consolidated practice as a clinician. Staff must successfully pass through several competency gateways in their progression to independent practice. These include written and practical assessments as well as call audits during supervised practice.

Once call handlers and clinicians start practising independently, they are then subject to on-going performance management and professional development. As all calls are recorded they are routinely audited as a requirement of the NHS Pathways License using standardised national performance benchmarks; with monthly feedback provided to call handlers on both positive elements and areas of improvement.

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