Health advisers would field the same questions as GPs and receptionists (Picture: Shutterstock)

People calling GP surgeries at busy times could be put through to 111 under new plans floated by NHS bosses.

The London Ambulance Service (LAS), which runs the medical helpline across most of the capital, is offering to ease pressure on practices by helping triage patients.

By speeding up the time it takes to get medical advice, it’s hoped the scheme would also cut the number of people calling 999 or going to A&E when they can’t get through to anyone.

The LAS, which covers an area that includes around 1.5 million people, is championing the idea and hopes to launch a trial soon.

It currently employs a range of medical workers, including pharmacists, nurses and paramedics, to field calls for 111, which provides help for urgent but non-life threatening situations.

The trial scheme would only use 111 health advisers, who are trained to provide basic health advice and assessments.

They would through the same questions patients would be asked by the receptionist, GP or online questionnaire.

It’s hoped the scheme will ease pressure on A&Es, 999 services and GP (Picture: Getty)

They would then ‘navigate the patient to the right place’, according to London Ambulance Service chief Daniel Elkeles.

Mr Elkeles told The Times on Monday: ‘you’d be freeing up loads of time in primary care for the GPs to see the patients who really need them, because we’ve taken away a chunk of the work.’

‘If we can get the public back into the idea that if you are not feeling well you phone your GP, then the patient experience will be better and the NHS will work better.

‘It will be much cheaper than patients going to A&E or phoning 999 when they don’t need to. Everyone else has got lots of other things to worry about and I think we have to take that into our own hands to say, “We can do this for the NHS. Give us the responsibility to get this bit to work.”

The London Ambulance Service denied reported claims that paramedics would be involved in supporting the trial.

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Health advisers would provide advice when doctors and receptionists can’t pick up the phone, reducing wasteful 999 calls and A&E trips.