NHS calls service set to create up to 60 jobs in Blackpool

The vacancies are coming at Fylde coast health company FCMS as part of the growing NHS 111 scheme and will be at the firm's offices in Vicarage Road.

NHS 111 First is a national initiative that launched on the Fylde Coast in August. It asks patients to use NHS 111 to access urgent and emergency care unless they need to call 999. Patients are then assessed and directed to the most appropriate service.

Those who need to go to the emergency department at Blackpool Victoria Hospital are given an appointment, so they do not have to sit for long periods in the waiting room.

The aim is to have patients get the right treatment, first time, in a shorter period of time.

Calls are handled through the North West Ambulance Service which, on the Fylde Coast, is managed by social enterprise company FCMS.

FCMS provides out of hours primary care services and the urgent care services at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. Throughout the pandemic they have been working with partners to provide swabbing, testing and specialist transport services. They have been heavily involved in the NHS 111 First scheme.

FCMS has now been granted an extension to their contract which will allow them to take on 50-60 new members of staff to meet the increased demand.

Suzy Layton, chief executive of FCMS, said: “I am absolutely thrilled that at this challenging time we have been able to secure a contract that creates new jobs for one of the most deprived areas of the country – creating jobs and helping people to take steps out of poverty is one of the key ways that we can hope to improve physical and mental health of our friends and neighbours on the Fylde Coast.

“The extra call handlers will mean that people will have an even better service when they contact NHS 111.

People can go to www.jobs.nhs.uk to apply for the new jobs.

NHS 111 First is now being rolled out across the rest of the country by December.

FCMS began life in 1994 as a GP Co-operative across Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. It was purely a GP home visiting service based out of Devonshire Road Hospital.

It then developed into a multi-disciplinary clinical team with GPs, nurses, dentists, paramedics, mental health nurses and social workers. later managing and delivering Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Urgent Care Centre and, in 2011, starting delivering 111 call handling service using NHS Pathways.

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