NHS helpline numbers plunge in Sunderland

Demand for the service has now fallen below the level this time last year and the NHS believes fewer people are using it because they now know more about the virus and what to do if they suspect they have caught it.

NHS England figures show the North East 111 helpline received 103,294 calls in November – down from 192,475 received in March – a fall of 46%.

Demand for the service is now 22% below the level in November last year, when there were 132,800 calls.

Nationally, calls to the helpline dropped to 1.6 million in November, compared to 1.7 million in October and three million in March.

Tim Gardner, senior policy fellow at the Health Foundation, said: "As the pandemic took hold in March, there was a large spike in activity and the volume of calls returned close to normal levels in the summer. So far there is no indication that we will see a surge in calls on the scale of March 2020, partly because of easier access to testing and greater online assessment."

A spokesman for the NHS said: "NHS 111, both by phone and online has played a key role in helping millions of people to get convenient care and advice through the pandemic, and has significantly helped reduce the number of people having to go to A&E for non-urgent problems.”