To add to the excitement of being nominated for a national Person Centred Care award last week, the Norfolk Just One Number team celebrated their one year anniversary this week.

A celebration was held at the Just One Number base in Cringleford, where staff from all over the Norfolk Healthy Child Programme came together with colleagues from Norfolk County Council and the Cambridgeshire Community Services executive team.

Just One Number officially launched in March 2017 providing a single point of access for children and young people 0-19 and their parents and carers.

In the first year:

• Over 45000 calls were taken from parents, schools and other professionals and 80% were resolved within the first contact. The remaining 20% of calls are followed up with a call back or transferred to their local team for action.
• Calls range from requests for health advice and support, links to community resources and requests to book appointments.
• Over 4800 texts were received into the Chat Health messaging service from young people seeking health advice or support. This resulted in 350 separate interventions with young people.
• In addition to responding to calls and text messages, the Just One Number Team process information and referrals from partner agencies, ensuring that families receive appropriate care in a timely way.

Sian Larrington, Head of Service, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire Children & Young People’s health Services said:

“Every child deserves the best start in life and Just One Number is playing an important part in achieving this in Norfolk”

“We are ecstatic with how the first year has gone in Just One Number. It really has been a huge team effort and when we look at the sheer volume of work completed, it makes me very proud of the service.”

 “We have clinicians in the team who provide real time support for young people and families, over the phone or by responding to the hundreds of messages we receive on our texting services ChatHealth and Parentline.”

“Having Just One Number as a single point of access allows us to respond to many more queries and this means that children, young people and families in Norfolk get the right care, at the right time, from the right person.”

Sarah Barnes Public Health Commissioning Manager for Children and Young People said:

“This service is so much more than just a phone number, we’ve been delighted with the take up since it launched 12 months ago. Just One Number not only includes a text service for parents, but also offers the opportunity to speak to a clinician directly if needed. It is a health service for the children and families of Norfolk delivered in a way that reflects how people live their lives.  Referrals can be made by a variety of means, by parents, young people and professionals, enabling families to access a wide range of support services whatever their need.”

*An animation has been created to help advertise the Just One Number service: