NHS England has trialled four digital versions of NHS111 in an attempt to shift channel from telephone to online.
An internal report dated December 2017 and obtained through HSJ reveals the astonishingly low take up of these heavily marketed pilots. Download the full report here:
Data contained within the report shows the four trials covered a population of 7.5m for the period February to June 2017. The total completed digital triages came to 8671.
A separate chart shows NHS111 telephone volume at around 1 million per month, for a population of 50m.
The digital trials covered around 15% of the population, and over the 5 months of the trial would see pro rata around (15% x 1,000,000 x 5 months) = 750,000 calls.
Digital triages therefore accounted for 8671/750,000 = 1.2%
We know that the digital option was heavily marketed in the four pilot areas, in the public domain, GP surgeries and through IVR messages. We have no idea of the costs incurred.
We can see by comparing the charts that conversions from “I registered or downloaded the digital solution” to “I completed a triage” range from about 60% for Babylon and Sensely to 30% for Pathways and 10% for Expert 24.
Figures given on dispositions are compared to 111 phone triage dispositions and what is striking is the similarity. Much is made of the 18% advised to self-care. However, it is very disturbing to see 20% advised to call 999 or go to emergency. Compared with GP audits of their demand, which they rate at around 0.5% as emergency, these are astonishing numbers. Work we have analysed with a GP led OOH service showed GP disposition to ambulance at 1.4%.
Following the advice of the algorithms would multiply use of emergency services by a factor of 10 to 20.
Worse than this, we suspect that the low take up means the diseases entered are highly unrepresentative of the overal disease burden, and are likely skewed to conditions which are “easy to triage” and therefore less acute.
Given the above analyses, and if you knew the eye-watering costs incurred, what would you do?
Harry Longman
PS The conclusion of the report’s author may surprise you, page 4:
The learning from these pilots supplemented with data from other health systems and from
other online services would continue to support the case for an online interface for urgent
care. This evaluation does not recommend one product over another but demonstrates that all
products have some similarities and differences but all products tend to support channel shift
and management of demand whilst providing patients with a good experience.
To gain further understanding of NHS111 Online and the impact on the health system, larger
data sets and linked data will need to be considered. Therefore, the expansion of pilots and
further analysis will enable a more robust evaluation.
