Almost 150,000 calls from members of the general public in search of recommendation from NHS 24 in Scotland have been deserted earlier than an operator responded through the first six months of 2023, new figures present.
One caller waited greater than two hours and 45 minutes to talk to an operator in April.
January was the worst month for wait instances general, with 34,594 calls halted earlier than being answered, and a median wait time of 19 minutes and 51 seconds.
The information was obtained by the Scottish Conservatives via freedom of knowledge requests.
NHS 24 is the Scottish equal to NHS 111, offering pressing care recommendation and dental help out of hours.
The Scottish Government has urged folks to make the most of NHS 24 – which was first arrange in 2001 – to alleviate stress on emergency departments.
‘Simply not ok’
Scottish Conservative Dr Sandesh Gulhane blamed the lengthy wait instances on what he known as “the SNP’s chronic mismanagement of Scotland’s NHS”.
He went on: “Scots shouldn’t be pressured to endure ridiculous wait instances to talk to an operator about their well being considerations.
“The average wait time of almost 13 minutes is simply not good enough – and it beggars belief that someone actually waited nigh on three hours to have their call answered.”
The member of the Scottish parliament additionally stated folks could be pushed again into calling their GP or attending A&E as a result of vital ready instances for NHS 24.
Government says ‘bettering’ service higher than England’s
A spokesperson for NHS 24 stated “winter pressures” had impacted demand for his or her companies, which together with elevated calls throughout public holidays had led to quickly elevated wait instances.
They additionally stated some callers would have hung up after listening to the recorded message directing them to various care, together with 999, their native pharmacy or symptom checkers on NHSinform.scot.
The spokesperson added: “NHS 24 is constantly improving its services and continues to recruit extra frontline staff to answer every call as quickly as possible, and to continue to provide safe and effective care to patients across Scotland 24/7.”
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In response to the info, the Scottish Government stated: “[We] increased NHS 24’s funding last year by over £20 million for additional recruitment and the addition of a new call centres in Dundee and Glasgow. We will continue to invest in the service as it continues to expand both its services and workforce.”
Additionally, they made a comparability with figures from NHS 111, which they stated confirmed the common wait time in England was 25 minutes – practically double the Scottish wait time – and that 111 dropped virtually 3.7 million calls final yr, which they stated per head of inhabitants was round 19% greater in than in Scotland.
Source: information.sky.com”