NHS 111 call handlers leaving in large numbers
Yorkshire call centres saw a staff turnover rate of 76%.
Large numbers of call handlers for NHS 111 are quitting their jobs due to abuse, staffing shortfalls, and high workloads, the UK's largest trade union is warning.
Listen to this article
Unison said that figures from six ambulance services across England and Wales show that almost half of their staff left their jobs in the three years leading up to April 2024.
300,000 days were lost to ill health at the six organisations surveyed over the same period.
The union also surveyed more than 200 call handlers, who said the worst challenges of the job were the volume of calls, staff shortages and abusive callers.
Between April 2023 and 2024, the Yorkshire's NHS 111 service had a staff turnover of 76%, the highest recorded followed by South East Coast (62%) and South Central (44%), said Unison.
Read more: Crown court backlog hits record 80,000 as system 'on brink of collapse'
Unison surveyed six NHS ambulance trusts: London, North West, South East Coast, South Central, Wales and Yorkshire.
In December last year the London Ambulance Service announced that almost half of its 111 callers reported abuse in 2025.
Some received death threats aimed at their families, and a quarter of all control room staff experienced unwanted sexual behaviour from the public over the phone.
Unison’s national ambulance officer Sharan Bandesha said: "NHS 111 is a lifeline for patients and their families."
"The service provides vital advice and access to care when they urgently need it."
"But staff are under immense pressure and it’s no surprise many don’t stay in the role.“
"Bringing 111 services back in-house, paying staff properly for their work and employing enough staff to alleviate pressure would help ensure NHS 111 is fit for the future," she added.