HEALTH chiefs have revealed that a 'booking-in' system will be in place at Leighton Hospital's A&E department by December.

NHS 111 First is a national programme that has sparked controversy with some critics claiming it will deter some people from attending emergency departments to be checked out for a range of potential illnesses.

Those supervising the initiative stress all patients who need a 'blue light' response will still receive one and no patient will be turned away.

But an answer provided during the public speaking time at Cheshire East Council's Cabinet meeting yesterday (Tuesday) revealed the impact Covid has had in a review of urgent and emergency care and plans with the aim now to reduce patient risk and cut back on "unnecessary healthcare contacts".

Cllr Laura Jeuda provided Cheshire East councillors with details of a letter from Woolstanwood parish councillor Brian Silvester in which he voiced his concerns that walk-ins at A&E departments at Leighton Hospital and Macclesfield General Hospital "will be banned" from November.

He issued a plea to Cheshire East Council to oppose what he claims will be a "dramatic reduction" in the service and asked if the authority was consulted about the changes.

Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (Cheshire CCG) provided a response to Mr Silvester's question in which the health body makes it clear that to keep those patients thinking of attending A&E safe and to maintain social distancing they are going to be first asked to ring NHS 111.

Health chiefs say that the scheme is part of a national integrated programme to improve outcomes and experiences for emergency cases, although it has been described as a "profound change" by current NHS chairman Lord Prior.

Cheshire CCG says that after people have rung NHS 111 they will be booked into a time slot in A&E or another appropriate service.

"All patients who need a blue light response will still receive one and no patient will be turned away if they self-present to an emergency department," stated the CCG in its response.

"They will be provided with the most appropriate form of care, for example referral to another part of the hospital, or another site or assisted use of NHS 111.

"Drawing on learning from Covid the ambition is to improve the offer for patients, delivering improved outcomes and a better experience of care whether this is by phone or online from NHS 11, at home, from a paramedic, in a GP practice or pharmacy or when necessary an emergency department.

"Through changing the way the urgent and emergency care service is both perceived and accessed by patients services will be improved and risks to patients reduced by minimising unnecessary healthcare contacts."

NHS 111 is being rolled out in phases so that the process can be evaluated with safety checks made.

The CCG statement added: "NHS 111 First will be introduced more widely across Cheshire through the autumn with a view to being fully in place by December 1 in line with a national roll-out."

Mr Silvester maintains the scheme will be disastrous for Leighton Hospital, where attendance at A&E fell by almost a third in the month immediately after lockdown (April).

He said: "What this means is that by the end of the year residents of Crewe and Nantwich will be banned from walking into the A&E at Leighton. Around 65 per cent of those who access A&E are walk-in patients.

"Wherever you look, NHS services are being eroded. We are experiencing the gradual privatisation of the NHS under the false cover of COVID."