NHS Help line experiencing high volume of calls

THE NHS 111 non-emergency telephone service in the Thames Valley area reports experiencing an extremely high volume of calls over the last 24 hours with up to 1,000 calls an hour at peak times.

Members of the public needing urgent health advice are asked not to abandon their call but to continue trying the service or to check availability of other services such as pharmacies and GP out of hours (details of which can be found on http://www.nhs.uk/service-search).

Peak times for NHS 111 are mid-morning and early evening and callers may find they get through to the service more quickly if they try at other times if they are seeking advice and reassurance for a health condition.