NHS 111 needs to be manned by trained paramedics instead of a risk-averse algorithm

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The NHS 111 service has become part of the front line (Getty)

As I recover from emergency surgery, I have time to ponder and put into perspective my treatment from the NHS. As always (nearly) everyone on the front line was efficient and caring – after all, it was not their fault that I waited 10 hours for an ambulance.

Since some GPs have locked their doors from the inside, the NHS 111 service has become part of the front line. Yet the algorithm that controls NHS 111 is so risk-averse that it classes minor ailments or relatively trivial injuries out of proportion, probably “just to be on the safe side”. It is this that is clogging up the ambulance service and A&E departments and there must be excess deaths as a consequence.

NHS 111 needs to be manned not by a call handler using the algorithm but by a trained paramedic. Six hours after my initial 999 call and two further phone calls later, I finally spoke to a trained professional who correctly assessed my urgent need and the response required.