Hampshire residents urged to book A&E appointments

Patients in Hampshire who want to access their local Accident and Emergency department are now being encouraged to book a slot in advance.

The county is one of five areas in England where a trial is taking place to triage patients by phone or online.

The move - which has also gone live in Cornwall, Portsmouth, Blackpool, and Warrington - is in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and to reduce pressure on A&E departments ahead of other winter outbreaks such as flu.

The new procedure aims to direct people to the right service - including A&Es, urgent treatment centres, GP surgeries or mental health care.

Patients can call NHS 111 to book a slot, or book online.

People with a life-threatening condition should, however, still call 999.

If successful, the service could be rolled out to all hospital trusts in December.

A campaign called 'Help Us Help You' will be launched later in the year, to encourage people to use the service.

Meanwhile, a consultation on new targets for waiting times in A&E is also being launched as ministers prepare to scrap the current four-hour target.

Under the changes, patients will still be able to use A&E without an appointment, but they could end up waiting longer than those who have booked through 111.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said the booking scheme could have advantages for many older people.

"As the year goes on, and with Covid-19 cases on the rise, older people will be keen to avoid crowded places so if this new system means they don't have to hang around for so long in an incredibly busy A&E but can go for a defined timeslot instead, many will welcome it.

"However, it is important to stress that older people who have difficulty using the phone will not be turned away if they go straight to A&E as before. As this new approach beds in we will need to keep it under review to make sure it is not inadvertently leading to some older people failing to access the treatment they need."