CLAIMS by West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin that patients calling the NHS 111 service with non-emergency conditions are often told to go to A&E have been disputed.

Last week Mrs Baldwin said the West Midlands’ NHS 111 line – which replaced the troubled NHS Direct in November 2013 – was not able to link patient’s locations with nearby Minor Injury Units or other out-of-hours services.

This, she said, means patients are often advised to go to A&E even if their injury, condition or illness is not urgent.

But West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) – which runs NHS 111 in the region – has refuted this, saying call handlers were able to advise callers to go to a Minor Injury Unit if it was felt appropriate.

Conservative MP Mrs Baldwin said she had asked Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to look into how the service is run.

“The 111 phone line is a useful resource that supplements the GPs’ out-of-hours service and can help people get medical advice without having to leave their home,” she said.

“However I am told that the system means that call handlers only offer the local A&E unit rather than suggesting visiting a minor injuries unit, which is often nearer.

“Often local MIUs are much less busy and can deal with cuts, broken bones and minor conditions in a few minutes.

“I have asked the Health Secretary to look into this and see what can be done to amend the 111 call handling system to allow a wider range of options and help to take some of the pressure off our local A&E units.”

But a WMAS spokesman said the computer system used by the service’s call handlers – dubbed Pathways – included provision for referring patients to A&E where appropriate.

“If the assessment through Pathways indicates a Minor Injuries Unit as an appropriate service for the patient to attend and they can manage the patient's condition the call taker will give the information of the service to the caller, location etc,” he said.

But he added in these cases patients’ details were not passed directly to the unit and they were told to make their own way there rather than being conveyed by ambulance.

A&E units across the country have been under significant pressure in recent weeks, with a record number of patients turning up at hospital both by ambulance and through the front door.

Worcestershire has been no exception, and health bosses in the county have repeatedly urged patients only to go to A&E in a genuine emergency and instead go to one of the five Minor Injury Units in Malvern, Evesham, Kidderminster, Bromsgrove and Tenbury.

The units are able to deal with a number of conditions including broken bones, wounds, cuts, grazes and burns. The sites in Kidderminster and Tenbury are open 24 hours a day and waiting times at all five are generally much quicker than at A&E.

Anyone unsure about the most appropriate place to go for healthcare can call NHS 111 free, 24 hours a day.