111 calls slowed as line rolled out New figures released by NHS England reveal that the number of calls to the non-emergency service per 1,000 people to whom it was available decreased from 28 in December to 14 in April. Although overall volumes of calls increased, the proportion of people using the service decreased steadily as it was rolled out to new areas during the first four months of the year. The NHS admitted at the time the launch of the service had been "problematic," with some areas deactivating the service shortly after it was launched. There were widespread reports of calls going unanswered, ambulances being dispatched to trivial cases and hospitals declaring "major incidents" as patients flooded into A&E departments. A spokeswoman for NHS England insisted yesterday that the steady drop in the number of calls per 1,000 people was purely down to the opening of the service in new areas where it had not previously been available. There is "nothing to indicate" that patients were shunning the phone line and visiting A&E instead, and the service is "steadily improving," she said.