The CCMA look at how call and contact centres are utilised across the NHS and how to make best use of them

Did you know that in 2023/24, the NHS managed an astounding 600 million patient interactions? This included 13.1 million ambulance calls and 21.8 million NHS 111 calls. 

These staggering numbers actually make the NHS one of the UK’s largest contact centre operators. Even in our digital-first world, plenty of people’s interactions with the health system still begin with a phone call.

NHS contact centres and what they’re used for

The NHS operates several distinct contact centre services across the UK. In England, NHS 111 operates through multiple locations across the country, working closely with regional ambulance services. Scotland has its own service called NHS 24, which operates as a single nationwide service. Wales operates NHS 111 Wales, and Northern Ireland is currently looking to establish its own 111 service. Each of the countries operate their services quite differently. NHS England 111 is much more closely aligned with the Ambulance service and is split into regions. NHS 24 covers Scotland as whole.

The key services provided by NHS contact centres include NHS 111 (Non-emergency medical helpline), which includes 24/7 medical triage and advice; appointment booking with GPs, urgent treatment centres, and A&E; mental health crisis support with dedicated mental health professionals; emergency dental appointment arrangements; and assistance with repeat prescriptions.

There are also 999 Emergency Services which include: immediate response to life-threatening emergencies; fire, police and ambulance dispatch coordination; integration with emergency departments; and mental health crisis response teams.

Contact centres play a vital role in public health initiatives and patient education, helping to guide people to the most appropriate care pathways. They use sophisticated clinical assessment tools like NHS Pathways – which is owned by the Department of Health and Social Care and delivered by NHS England – to ensure consistent and safe triage of patients, with over 50 per cent of callers speaking directly to clinicians such as nurses, doctors, pharmacists, or paramedics.

Other NHS contact centres

In addition to 111 and 999, other NHS contact centres include Shared Business Services which is focused on administrative functions that keep the healthcare system running smoothly. These centres manage support, procurement and invoicing for 45 NHS trusts and 150,000 suppliers. 

John Murphy, head of customer excellence at NHS Shared Business Services notes: “NHS Shared Business Services is a joint venture with NHS to reduce transactional processing costs as part of the ongoing efficiency drive to allow more funds for front line care.”

While traditionally focused on calls, NHS SBS has transformed its operation with 80 per cent of traffic now handled via their portal with 24-hour turnaround. John Murphy explains: “In partnership with NHS, a significant investment is being made in the next generation of services with an updated user design portal and increasing levels of self-service where this is more efficient for both parties.” The organisation is consolidating its various contact centres into a single point of contact and maintains a separate dedicated contact centre handling payroll and pensions queries.

Another division, NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) operates an award-winning Customer Contact Centre handling over 5 million contacts annually. With approximately 650 staff, this centre manages queries related to assistance with health costs, student services, dental services, pension schemes, NHS jobs, overseas healthcare services and prescription services.

NHS BSA also managed the NHS 119 COVID-19 service during the pandemic, offering support in 200 languages for COVID-19 testing, vaccination appointments, and NHS COVID Pass inquiries. This saw the introduction of video consultations on a massive scale, the deployment of tens of thousands of remote contact centre staff, and a huge increase in the use of digital channels. Many of those initiatives have since become permanent features, transforming the way the NHS communicates.

The NHS is famously one of the world’s largest organisations, so it has many other touchpoints with the public and patients. These include Blood & Transport which operates the blood donor programme and has recently implemented Salesforce Marketing Cloud to increase donor engagement through their contact centres – an initiative that other NHS centres are planning to follow. And of course, most hospitals and GP surgeries still handle calls and bookings from their own patients.  
NHS contact centre 

HS contact centre performance metrics

Recent data from October 2024 shows that NHS 111 achieved an 89.8 per cent answer rate, some way below its 95 per cent target. The core NHS 111 targets are: 95 per cent of calls answered within 60 seconds; maximum 5 per cent abandonment rate; minimum 30 per cent clinical intervention rate; 75 per cent warm transfer rate for clinical calls; and 75 per cent of callbacks completed within 10 minutes.

Enhanced Urgent Care KPIs (2023/24) include: average answer speed under 20 seconds; 95th percentile answer time within 120 seconds; at least 50 per cent of calls assessed by clinical staff; 90 per cent of callbacks were clinically assessed within the agreed timeframe: and minimum 15 per cent self-care recommendation rate after clinical input.

The 999 service, on the other hand, has to answer calls and find solutions much more quickly. The UK’s emergency response system employs a tiered approach to categorisation, with each level having specific response time targets, from initial call handling to hospital handover times.

This includes 95 per cent of emergency calls answered within 5 seconds; 30-minute total hospital turnaround time; 15-minute hospital handover window; and a 15-minute crew precise time target.

According to John Murphy of NHS SBS: “Our Key KPIs include 85 per cent of calls answered in 180 seconds, 5 per cent abandoned rate, 95 per cent+ digital channel response within one working day, with CSat averaging at over 90 per cent with the service.”

Digital transformation and strategic goals in NHS contact centres

NHS contact centres, particularly NHS 111, have evolved from telephone helplines to sophisticated multi-channel healthcare hubs which act as gateways into the healthcare system for patients. Their primary function today is to optimise patient care pathways, ensuring patients who need urgent care are directly and quickly taken to the right place while reducing pressure on emergency and primary care services.

Strategic healthcare support 

A primary goal of NHS contact centres is reducing unnecessary A&E (accident and emergency) visits through effective triage and providing appropriate alternatives. The service offers 24/7 mental health crisis support, with dedicated mental health professionals available through the 111 service. Contact centres also play a crucial role in public health initiatives, providing education and campaign support while enabling direct booking into GP practices and urgent treatment centres.

Digital channel integration 

The NHS has embraced digital transformation through multiple channels centred around three main access points: the NHS app; NHS website portal; and NHS 111 online service.

These platforms give patients comprehensive access to healthcare services. They can use them to complete symptom assessments, book appointments, access medical records, view test results, and order repeat prescriptions. Integrating these digital services with traditional call centres has created a more efficient and accessible healthcare system.

At the heart of NHS contact centre operations is a critical tool called the NHS Pathways clinical assessment tool. This sophisticated triage system supports contact centre and clinical staff in making consistent, evidence-based decisions across all channels. The system integrates with real-time service directories and supports 111 and 999 services, facilitating accurate, appropriate care pathway selection.

The NHS continues to enhance its digital capabilities through advanced technologies, including AI-powered platforms for remote consultations, video consultation capabilities, and natural language processing for call routing. Real-time data analytics and predictive modelling help optimise resource allocation and service delivery, ensuring patients receive the proper care through the most appropriate channel at the right time.

The public’s perception of public service contact centres 

The CCMA’s comprehensive study of customer service perceptions reveals fascinating insights about the levels of customer service offered by public sector services, including NHS contact centres. 

The research uncovered what CCMA terms the ‘Category Effect’, where service perceptions vary dramatically across sectors. Public sector services, including the NHS, typically return lower satisfaction scores than commercial sectors. 

This disparity isn’t simply about competence - it reflects fundamental differences in service complexity, public accountability, and emotional stakes.

The diagram below shows how the public rates the public sector (labelled Gov’t) compared to the commercial sector.

The most revealing finding here is the disconnect between the public’s overall perception of the customer service they receive and their recognition of the effort those staff make. While government services scored -25 for overall service perception, they achieved a positive score (+1) for staff effort (see diagram opposite). This pattern suggests that the public recognises the commitment of frontline NHS contact centre colleagues, even when systemic challenges get in the way of overall service delivery.

The path forward

The research and success stories point to clear opportunities for NHS contact centres to enhance patient experience while improving operational efficiency.

Strategic channel optimisation

The first step is to integrate and optimise the use of digital channels. This doesn’t mean forcing patients onto digital platforms – instead, it’s about making digital interactions so efficient and user-friendly that they become the natural choice. This requires careful planning, clear communication, and, of course, maintaining phone access for those who need it.

Technology integration

NHS contact centres are already utilising sophisticated clinical assessment tools. The next step is integrating these with user-friendly digital interfaces that maintain clinical safety while improving accessibility. Recent implementations of systems like Salesforce by NHS operations show how modern technology can enhance efficiency and the patient experience.

Staff empowerment

The research done by the CCMA shows that NHS contact centre employees are already recognised for their commitment to helping patients. Lack of effort and care are not the problem. What the NHS needs to do is continue to support the dedication of their colleagues with more efficient systems and processes. These include: comprehensive training programs; sustainable workload management; clear career progression opportunities; and regular development and support.

Measuring success

Traditional contact centre metrics need to be balanced with healthcare-specific measures, including: time saved for patients; first contact resolution rates; patient satisfaction scores; clinical safety metrics; and staff wellbeing measures.

The future lies in balancing digital efficiency with human connection – using technology to handle routine interactions while preserving valuable colleague time for complex cases requiring personal attention. This isn’t just about operational efficiency – it’s about recognising that every minute saved for a patient is a minute they can spend on what matters most to them. In healthcare, that time saving could be transformative.

About the CCMA

For more than 30 years, the CCMA has been absolutely dedicated to supporting contact centre professionals. We’re constantly pushing ourselves to do more for our thriving community, which happens to be the largest community of contact centre professionals in the UK. The CCMA was founded with the goal of sharing best practice and networking to improve skills and knowledge in order to progress contact centre operations – and we live by that to this day. 

No matter where your contact centre is in its development, we are here to support you. 

We give those that work in contact centres the chance to discuss ideas and share experiences through member-only Special Interest Groups and online and in-person events. Members are invited to become Accredited through the Contact Centre Standards Framework and get independent guidance on where to focus for improvements. There is also the opportunity to benchmark the operation against 25+ KPIs. The CCMA Academy gives everyone a structured learning opportunity to support both personal and professional development for the benefit of their operation. 

And of course, we celebrate the progress our industry is making through the UK National Contact Centres Awards. Those that win go on to share their stories through channels such as the UK National Contact Centre Conference, Best Practice Visits and CareerTalk. They are invited to input into the Special Interest Groups and other events.