Given the choice between losing my hearing and a slightly unpleasant interaction with a service professional, I would typically choose the latter.
It will be really nice when everyone has access to a medical AI that can assess these things instantly wherever you are.
And cost, now that insurance is playing the "we only cover ER visits that were necessary in hindsight" game.
For those of us at the top of the pleb pyramid it's not so bad, but for the average person, a single mistake can be ruinous.
They do seem to have some sway over the GPs though - Rather than A&E, they've refereed me to the Doctors instead. When I said it's impossible to get an appointment 111 told me to tell the Doctors they've referred me. At that point the Doctors seem to _have_ to see you the same day.