Video: NHS 111 phoneline 'is nowhere near ready' Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA's GPs committee, said: "We would like the secretary of state to wait a bit, to allow these commissioning groups, these GP-led organisations to get going, and then to arrange urgent care services for patients in their area." Jo Webber, from the Ambulances Services Network, also raised fears that the lessons from the pilots were yet to be learnt and more time was needed to digest the results. However, Dr Buckman made it clear that healthcare professionals were still committed to the rollout of the number. "We actually want to make it work, this isn't a political dig, this is something we want to get right," he added. Last October Prime Minister David Cameron announced the launch of the 111 number, saying it would make the NHS "a 24/7" service and abolish "the whole concept of out-of-hours." Ministers want it to be the single point of contact for non-emergency care outside normal surgery hours, encompassing NHS Direct and out-of-hours services, and also enabling people to book appointments with GPs as well as avoiding unnecessary trips to A&E.