Cwm Taf pilots single care number

Wales will spend £310,000 to set up a new single point of contact for health and social services for one of its health boards

SmartHealthcare.com
Smart Healthcare, Friday 22 January 2010 11.10 GMT

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Due for completion in 2011, the centre will enable those covered by the Cwm Taf health board to call one number to access health and social services. The Welsh Assembly Government expects that it will take an average of 700,000 calls a year.

The "communications hub" will be the largest in Wales, according to the health minister Edwina Hart. It will manage call handling and the coordination of several health services, including GP out of hours services, non-emergency ambulance bookings, district nursing services and local authority services, in one location.

New IT will connect previously separate systems, with the aim of allowing patient information to be accessed quickly and securely. The government has provided its funding to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, which will develop its existing call centre at Ty Elai in Tonypandy for this purpose.

"Patients currently access NHS services through a handful of different phone numbers," said Hart. "The new centre will allow patients in the area who are unsure of where to go for advice to call one number to access a range of services.

"Traditional routes of help such as 999 and NHS Direct Wales will still be available, but for those who require help that is not an emergency, the call centre will direct patients to the most appropriate care, ultimately reducing pressure on services and improving patient care."

Dr Chris Jones, chair of Cwm Taf Health Board, said: "We do not underestimate how difficult it is for people to navigate complex services and the extended Communications Hub aims to simplify this process so local people can easily access a wide range of services."

The NHS in England is working along similar lines with its introduction of the 111 phone number for non-emergency care. A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We will await the outcome of the proposed pilots in England before considering the introduction of the 111 number in Wales." The spokesperson added that it has yet to decide the number for the new Cwm Taf service.