To address the original question, “111” would not have been necessary had the government in the mid-2000s virtually doubled GPs’ salaries whilst allowing them to abrogate their responsibilities to their patients outside 9-5. It was an absolute scandal and was done, so the story goes, because some areas of inner London had trouble recruiting GPs. That problem still exists, doctors’ salaries have doubled and the service they provide has virtually halved. Another great success story.
Now, instead of having a qualified doctor assess your illness you are diagnosed at the end of a phone. And great shock and amazement ensues when people pitch up at A&E with problems which previously could have been dealt with by a quick out-of-hours visit.