The NIHR ARC Yorkshire and Humber’s Urgent Care theme has reached a major milestone, with its latest research on NHS telephone triage systems being spotlighted in an editorial by Archives of Disease in Childhood, a British Medical Journal (BMJ) publication.
The research addresses one of the most pressing challenges in the NHS: managing the surging demand for Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC), whilst ensuring that patients who are seriously acutely unwell can access appropriate care in a timely manner. The study highlights how effective triaging is not merely a clinical “filter,” but a fundamental driver of patient flow and system safety. By ensuring patients reach the right level of care at the right time, triage acts as the “engine room” for maintaining emergency service capacity. The research reinforces NHSE priorities for the 10-year plan as it affects children and young people stating that ‘High levels of avoidable ED attendances require embedding paediatric clinicians in NHS111, enabling earlier advice and redirection.’
Being featured in a BMJ editorial—a platform reserved for the most influential health research globally—underscores the national significance of this work. It signals that the ARC’s findings are now central to the conversation on how to transform UEC delivery across the UK.
“This study shows that default triaging algorithms used by NHS 111 may not always triage children and young people appropriately, and can send more people than necessary to the emergency department. It’s clear that input from doctors, nurses and other clinicians can be vital for appropriately advising and directing patients. We need to closely examine the costs and benefits of increasing the number of clinical NHS 111 staff to improve triaging, especially for young people.” -Dr Jen Lewis, Urgent Care Research Fellow