NHS reveals call statistics

The Department of Health has revealed call statistics to the NHS 111 service up to and including September 2012.

It was announced by the government that there were 92,578 calls to the 111 service, while 84 per cent of these calls came from people directly dialling 111.

The Department of Health pointed out that this would represent 10.5 million calls per year across England to the NHS 111 service if the figures were scaled up.

"In September, 98 per cent of answered calls made to NHS 111 were answered within 60 seconds," it was noted by the government, which added one per cent were abandoned after waiting longer than 30 seconds.

The average length of a call episode for data up to and including September was found to be nine minutes 12 seconds.

NHS 111 is the number members of the public are asked to call if they need medical help fast but it is not a 999 emergency.

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