More calls were made to the NHS 111 service in Bath and North East Somerset, Wiltshire and Swindon last month, new figures show.
But health think tank the Nuffield Trust says the data suggests pressure on the NHS is easing across England.
NHS England data shows Bath and North East Somerset, Wiltshire and Swindon 111 helpline received 26,592 calls in May. This was two per cent more than it received in April, and one per cent more than in May 2019.
Calls to helplines across England dropped slightly to 1.6 million in May, compared to 1.7 million in April, but demand was 12 per cent higher than last year.
Sarah Scobie, the Nuffield Trust’s deputy director of research, said the value of digital services such as NHS 111 had become clear during the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said: “The increase in calls coupled with the dramatic falls in GP appointments and people turning up at A&E show how important digital services have become to help people access care.”
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