Updated 8 March 2019
A new integrated urgent care service model has been implemented for the first time in the West Midlands, hosted by NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) on a collaborative commissioning agreement between 16 CCGs. The arrangement sees the providers collaborate with various CCGs and in an alliance of five urgent care providers working with a joined-up approach.
The contract holder for the NHS111 service provided in the West Midlands is West Midlands Integrated Urgent Care (WMIUC). This service is part of Care UK, a company founded in 1982 which is now a large independent provider of health and social care services. Their services include treatment centres, GP practices, NHS walk-in centres, GP out-of-hours, prison health services and clinical assessment. Care UK provide a total of five NHS111 contracts in England.The service covers the West Midlands and includes the areas of Birmingham, Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and the Black Country. The geographic area covers 4,000 square miles, and a population of 4.65 million people. The service answered approximately 1.2 million calls in 2018. The staffing consisted of 255 full time equivalent (FTE) non-clinical staff (health advisors, service advisors and team managers). The clinical team consisted of 49 FTE clinical advisors and six point five FTE clinical supervisors. The clinical assessment service (CAS) was staffed with 24 FTE clinicians (GPs, advanced nurse practitioners, dental nurses, mental health nurses and pharmacists).
NHS 111 service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is a telephone based service where people are assessed, given advice and directed to a local service that most appropriately meets their needs.
This inspection was the first since WMIUC were awarded the contract in November 2016.