Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) announce change to the way NHS 111 and the GP-led out of hours (OOH) service are delivered locally, in mid and south Essex.
In November 2016 the five CCGs began a joint procurement process to secure a future provider of an Integrated Urgent Care (IUC) service which combines NHS 111 and the OOH service. Following a five-month national pause on 111/OOH procurement, the process was completed in December 2017 with IC24 the successful provider.
IC24 launch the new IUC service across mid and south Essex on 4 July 2018. By calling 111, patients will have access to a 24/7 service that can get them the right local medical help, when they need it.
The main benefit of the new service for those who call it will be the greater availability of a wide range of clinical professionals including GPs, specialist nurses, pharmacists, mental health professionals and palliative care nurses, offering more targeted advice.
This new development aims to make the service a key component of urgent and emergency care provision across the CCG localities, working as an integral part of the local health and social care economy.
Source: Mid Essex CCG