An NHS out-of-hours patient helpline is still failing to meet expected standards despite being warned it must make ‘significant improvements’, a care watchdog has found.

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust’s 111 service, which covers Dorset and Cornwall, was given an overall rating of ‘inadequate’ last year after Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors found the helpline was poorly staffed and workers were stressed and exhausted.

A whistle-blower revealed images of staff at the St Leonards call centre asleep at their desks. It prompted the CQC to issue the trust with a warning notice to improve and bosses pledged to work with local commissioners and stakeholders to better manage patient safety risks. 


A recent inspection, for which a report was published this week, found that although the service had improved – it was rated ‘good’ in providing safe, caring and responsive services – it was given an overall rating of ‘requires improvement.’ 


Following last year’s inspection, trust bosses said they “recognised that their performance needs to improve further to achieve the expected standards.”


The service provides a 24-hour telephone-based service to 1.3 million people. 


Professor Steve Field, chief inspector of general practice at the CQC, said: “I am pleased that South Western Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust has continued to build on the progress that we had identified in our previous inspection. 


“People who call the NHS 111 service are entitled to quick and easy access to healthcare advice and information, or access to urgent attention when that’s appropriate.


“Previously we had been concerned that the triaging system was not good enough. Some people whose calls were urgent were not being assessed in relation to their medical needs in a timely manner.


“On this inspection we saw some excellent examples of good practice and improvements. But, we would now like to be confident that these measures are fully embedded.

"The trust themselves have recognised that their performance needs to improve further to achieve the expected standards for the NHS 111 service. We found that there were still some calls which were not dealt with promptly or effectively.

"The trust must continue to work on this – and monitor the performance of its call handlers to help them get this right.”