THE troubled NHS 111 phone service has been thrown into turmoil as one of its main providers said it was seeking to withdraw from its contracts.

NHS Direct said its deals for the service, including in Lancashire and Cumbria, were ‘financially unsustainable’.

The new 111 number, for urgent but non-emergency advice, has been riddled with controversy since its national roll-out on April 1. The line suffered many teething problems, with patients complaining of calls going unanswered, poor advice given and calls being diverted to the wrong part of the country. Russ McLean, chair of the Pennine Lancashire Patient Voices Group, has previously complained the service’s call centre in Bolton was not staffed by clinicians, which meant the service was less efficient as staff would take an overly-cautious approach.

He said: “I would have to say I told you so. The roll-out of 111 in East Lancashire has been a debacle from day one. I think the Department of Health should learn a lesson here about trying to save money. They have come away with egg on their faces.”

The British Medical Association said the announcement revealed worrying flaws about the way in which NHS contracts were awarded and monitored. It said it had raised concerns about the low nature of some of the successful bids during the tendering process, but these were ignored.

NHS Direct said it was seeking a managed transfer of the 111 service to alternative providers. It said calls had taken ‘twice as long as expected’.