Patients across the constituency of Aberconwy will be able to call 111 for free access to urgent out-of-hours medical care and round-the-clock health support and guidance from this week. The easy-to-remember number is free to call from landlines and mobiles and will help patients get the right information, guidance, and treatment in the right place at the right time.
The service, which launched this week, has been warmly welcomed by the Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy – Janet Finch-Saunders MS – who has been campaigning for parity of access to the service. NHS 111 Wales is staffed by a large team of nurses, medics, and pharmacists, plus dozens of highly trained new call handlers.
Welcoming the news, Janet said:
“Throughout the pandemic, given the increasing promotion of the telephone service, I received a large number of complaints from confused constituents who had been directed towards the NHS 111 service to find that the non-emergency medical advice service remained unavailable for the North Wales area.
“This is why I urged the Welsh Minister for Health to ensure parity of access to this medical assistance. Indeed, it was incredibly jarring that my constituents had been stuck having to pay for calls to NHS Direct Wales to seek non-emergency medical advice for so long, compared to elsewhere.
“I am delighted that the service has now launched as many of my most vulnerable residents are desperate to utilise the telephone support scheme so that pressure on the emergency number can be eased. I will now look to ensure that this is part of a new wave of investment into our Health Board so that the region's waiting list crisis can also be addressed."
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- The 111 service is operated by the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust from bases across Wales, including a large centre in St Asaph. Health advice can also be found on the NHS 111 Wales website.
Photo: Janet Finch-Saunders MS
