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Vanessa Hunt cutting the ribbon

NHS 111 call handler cuts ribbon

The social enterprise celebrated the move to its new Bedford premises with a ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday, inviting colleagues working within its services as well as partners from organisations across the healthcare system and the community. After some introductory words from HUC Chair Sarah Pickup, NHS 111 call handler Vanessa Hunt cut the ribbon to open the new space. She is one of almost 200 colleagues working out of its previous contact centre.

The service has operating across the region and helping members of the public in need of healthcare advice since 2017.NHS 111 helps people get the right advice and treatment when they urgently need it. Non-clinical NHS 111 call handlers such as Vanessa, who receive comprehensive training before starting their roles and are subject to stringent auditing requirements, take the patients contacting the service through an initial assessment. Clinicians, such as nurses, doctors, pharmacists and paramedics also play an important role in NHS 111. In many cases NHS 111 clinicians and call handlers can give patients the advice they need without using another service such as their GP or A&E. Since January this year, the local service has taken over 230,000 calls.

Chair Sarah Pickup opens the call centre

Chair Sarah Pickup opens the call centre

As part of the opening event, Sarah Pickup, HUC Chair said, “Having only started at HUC as Chair in April, I am really delighted to be here today and open this new call centre. I’ve really enjoyed meeting so many of our really passionate colleagues today. Even though we are here to open a new call centre, this organisation is about its people not its premises. And this call centre demonstrates our collaborative and caring approach to healthcare delivery, giving space to our call handler trainees within the call centre itself while they undergo their comprehensive training so that they can be a part of the team before they join their colleagues on the phones. A big thank you to everyone for their immense commitment and dedication and for everything you do.”

Sophia and David Archer

Celebrating HUC's apprentices

In a similar vein, CEO David Archer took the opportunity to celebrate the recent graduates of the organisation’s apprenticeship scheme who were attending on the day and to highlight HUC’s dedication to investing in its workforce.

The move to a new, bigger contact centre is part of HUC’s vision to expand its range of services it offers to commissioners and system partners to help improve access, manage demand, support integration and provide the best outcomes for patients.