NHS 111 coronavirus services

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we at NHSX have been working in collaboration with our NHS partner organisations, to develop and deliver essential online services supporting the public and the health and care system. The pandemic has shown how essential digital technology is in understanding the virus and keeping patients and the public safe.

We were instrumental in developing the NHS 111 online coronavirus service, a brilliant example of the NHS harnessing the power of technology during the epidemic.  The service consists of multiple digital offerings to the public.  In partnership with NHS Digital, we set the service requirements and functionality of the platform and delivered the build.  One million people visited and benefited from the support service within the first week of launch; with enquiries jumping to more than 210,000 in a single day.

NHS 111 online text messaging service is another element of the COVID-19 service.  Also delivered in partnership with NHS Digital, we designed and built the platform which includes a dedicated clinical queue for COVID-19 demand, all done within two and half weeks.  The text messaging service is simple and effective. Individuals signing up will receive a daily text message for the duration of their isolation period. This advises them on what to do should their symptoms not improve or worsen.  Those who continue to display symptoms, or have symptoms whilst registering, are redirected to a special COVID-19 queue,  where they're able to speak to a clinician.  A large proportion of clinical staffing manning the COVID-19 queue are returning NHS doctors and nurses, due to the pandemic.