Integrated urgent care/NHS 111 roles
You'll help and advise people with an urgent medical need on the correct action to take. Being a 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week telephone service for members of the public, you'll work shifts.
Working life
NHS 111 staff take details of the caller's problem and use a clinical decision support system to help assess people over the phone, make appropriate referrals and give health advice to enable patients to manage their symptoms.
Join the NHS 111 team
We are current recruiting for health advisers across the country – will you answer the call?
The NHS 111 service employs a range of staff from service advisers who handle non-urgent calls from patients and members of the public to senior health advisers, senior clinical advisers and team leaders.
Pay and benefits
Salary will vary depending on where you work and your experience, but service advisers employed by the NHS are usually employed at band 2 of Agenda for Change, health advisers at band 4 and senior health advisers at band 5.
You'll work standard hours of 37.5 hours a week on a shift pattern basis. Shifts cover 24 hours a day, seven days a week so work patterns may include evenings, nights, early starts, weekends and bank holidays.
Roles at NHS 111
Service adviser
You'll handle selected non-urgent calls from patients, members of the public and healthcare professionals, such as GPs, nurses and pharmacists. You'll use specialist computer software to capture caller information, signpost people to the most appropriate service and undertake technical and administrative duties.
As well as dealing with incoming calls, you'll need to call back selected patients to follow up on their symptoms, escalating these if their health is worsening. You'll use good listening and communication skills to talk to people from all backgrounds, treating callers with empathy, respect and consideration. From time to time you may have to communicate with a difficult caller in a calm and professional manner.
Your training will include:
- call centre equipment and software
- customer care
- communication skills
- first aid, prioritising calls
- giving telephone advice.
Health adviser
You'll manage urgent and non-urgent calls from patients, members of the public and healthcare professionals, such as GPs, nurses and pharmacists. You'll use specialist computer software to direct the caller to the most appropriate care or service for their needs.
Health advisers have more responsibility than service advisers. They provide assessment, basic health advice and information to patients, supporting them to access the appropriate care, including advice to manage their symptoms at home.
Part of an integrated urgent care team, you'll work on site and remotely with non-clinical and clinical colleagues, including healthcare professionals such as nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, pharmacists and dentists.
You'll be educated to GCSE level and possess a fundamental level of maths, English and IT skills. You'll have experience of working and communicating with members of the public.
Your training will include:
- level 3 apprenticeship
- call centre equipment and software
- customer care
- communication skills
- first aid
- prioritising calls
- giving telephone advice.
We are current recruiting for health advisers across the country – will you answer the call?
Search roles
You'll work under the guidance of a clinician such as a nurse or paramedic, managing calls from patients, members of the public and healthcare professionals such as GPs, nurses and pharmacists. You'll provide safe and effective health assessment, information and advice, in line with agreed protocols.
An important part of the role is signposting patients to the most appropriate service using specialist software and a directory of service.
As a senior health adviser, you'll provide supervisory support to health advisers, including training, coaching, auditing and monitoring calls.
Part of an integrated urgent care team, you'll work on site and remotely with non-clinical and clinical colleagues, including healthcare professionals such as nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, pharmacists and dentists.
You'll be educated to GCSE level and possess a fundamental level of maths, English and IT skills. You'll have experience of working within an integrated urgent care/NHS 111 service as a health adviser or experience in a health setting.
Your training will include:
- qualifications at level 4 and 5 (for example higher apprenticeship)
- call centre equipment and software
- toxicology database
- health and social care
- mental health
- dental health (non injury)
- leadership
- mentoring and coaching
- support skills.
Where an NHS 111 career can take you
You can build a career in integrated urgent care/NHS 111 and there are roles available at levels 2 to 9. If you're not a registered healthcare professional, you can become a health adviser (level 3), a senior health adviser (level 4) or a team leader (level 4) via an apprenticeship or in house and role specific training. Apprenticeships start at level 2 and can go up to Master's level.
Once you're a registered healthcare professional - after graduating with an appropriate degree - you could progress to become a clinical adviser at level 5, clinical lead at level 6 or to levels above this.