HSE to consider dedicated phone line for acute non-urgent care

The HSE will consider the provision of a new dedicated phone line for acute non-urgent care as part of “broader work” to improve healthcare access, this newspaper has been told.

In October 2025, HIQA published a health technology assessment (HTA) of a dedicated phone line for acute non-urgent medical care. The assessment found that this type of telephone service, already used in countries such as the UK, Sweden, and Denmark, can help guide patients to appropriate care. However, it is unclear whether these phone lines reduce pressure on frontline services.

A HSE spokesperson told the Medical Independent that the Executive welcomed the publication of HIQA’s HTA and the detailed evidence it provided on international experience, potential models of delivery, workforce implications, and likely costs.

“The HSE will consider the findings in full as part of the broader work to improve access to urgent and unscheduled care.”

A HIQA spokesperson said the HTA found that if the new phone line was introduced, call volumes could range from 250,000 to one million calls per year. It may cost between €35 million to €250 million over five years.

If introduced, key decisions would need to be made about how the service operates. These would include whether it runs 24/7 or only during evenings and weekends. Call handlers could include trained non-clinical staff, nurses, or doctors, although using clinical staff to answer calls may reduce the availability of staff for direct patient care.

“Significant recruitment challenges are likely, particularly for clinical call handlers, given the existing shortages of healthcare staff,” said the HIQA spokesperson.

The proposed phone line is intended to support individuals to navigate the healthcare system, as existing services are quite fragmented.

“Effectively integrating this phone line could be challenging due to the lack of interconnectivity in existing services.”

Separately, HIQA also confirmed that it has begun work on examining how different levels of alcohol consumption are associated with alcohol-related mortality and hospital admission in Ireland. It is also conducting a review of the evidence on alcohol consumption and mental health outcomes. This work is expected to be completed in 2026 and will inform an update to Ireland’s low-risk alcohol guidelines by the Department of Health.