NHS Commissioners in Yorkshire and the Humber have today (16 July) announced the partnership of Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and Local Care Direct as the preferred provider to deliver the new NHS 111 service for the region (subject to contract sign off). The NHS 111 service will make it easier for the public to access healthcare services when they need medical help fast, but it’s not a life-threatening situation. It will be available to the public throughout Yorkshire and the Humber from March 2013. The contract will also include out-of-hours urgent treatment services for residents of West Yorkshire and Craven.
Mike Potts the Senior Responsible Officer for NHS 111 Programme Board for Yorkshire and the Humber and Chief Executive of NHS Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield said:
“I am delighted that after an open competitive process Yorkshire Ambulance Service, in partnership with out-of-hours provider Local Care Direct, has been identified as the preferred provider. Both organisations bring a wealth of local knowledge and experience of running emergency and urgent care services. I look forward to working with them as we plan to launch the new service for the people of Yorkshire and the Humber in March 2013.”
David Whiting, Chief Executive of Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said:
“We are delighted to have been selected as the preferred bidder for the region-wide NHS 111 and West Yorkshire Urgent Care services in partnership with Local Care Direct. Our partnership of an ambulance service and out-of-hours provider creates a firm and experienced foundation for safe, effective and integrated patient care.
“We are looking forward to implementing our plans for the services and, working together, we will deliver a high quality and responsive service for patients needing urgent care in Yorkshire and the Humber.”
Emma Wilson, Chief Executive of Local Care Direct said:
“Our partnership will put the interests of patients first. Both organisations have teams of incredibly committed and caring people who will be working closely with clinical commissioning groups, local communities and other health and social care providers to ensure the people of West Yorkshire have an urgent care service they can be proud of.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
NHS 111 is a free to call service, available through the easy to remember three-digit number. The NHS 111 Service will make it easier for the public to access urgent health and social care and will drive improvements in the way in which the NHS delivers care. It will provide a comprehensive service by delivering clinical assessments of callers’ needs at the first point of contact and ensuring that patients are referred straightway to the service that best meets their needs taking into account their location, time of day at which they call and the capacity of local services.
NHS Yorkshire and the Humber has been through a rigorous procurement to choose a provider to deliver the new NHS 111 service across the region and to provide the West Yorkshire Urgent Care Service (an out of hours primary care medical service, providing access, assessment and treatment to the residents of West Yorkshire and Craven).
The service development and the procurement process has involved a wide range of individuals from Clinical Commissioning Groups, PCT Clusters, patient representatives and the Department of Health.
For more information, call Mary Hardie on 0113 2952011 or Sarah Whitehead on 01484 464095.
