‘Phone first’ triage Posted or Updated on 15 Sep 2023

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board are introducing a new ‘phone first’ triage system, called  CAV24/7, for people needing urgent care who previously walked in to the Emergency Unit the service  will support the user to the most appropriate medical help. https://www.cardiffandvaleuhb.wales.nhs.uk/cAV-247

How will CAV 24/7 work?

Instead of going straight to the Emergency Unit (EU), people will be asked to phone a dedicated telephone number, 0300 10 20 247. This will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Calls will be taken by a call handler who will take the details, if it is a life-threatening emergency then the call handler will escalate the call to 999. If it is not an emergency the call handler will log the call in the system so a Clinician will call them back. The Clinician will ring the caller back within 20 minutes if it’s classed as urgent, or  within an hour if it’s not. The caller will then be referred to the most appropriate service; the right place, first time. If further assessment at the Emergency Unit is considered appropriate, an appointment will be made for them to attend at a particular time.