Average wait times to reach the NHS 24 helpline by phone have dramatically increased by 67% in a year, rising from 12 minutes in 2023 to 21 minutes in 2024. A Freedom of Information request revealed that some callers faced waits exceeding four hours, with nearly 105,000 calls abandoned before an operator could respond in the first 10 months of 2024. Scottish Conservative party members criticize the SNP government for neglecting the health service, citing this increase in wait times as evidence of systemic issues.
A Freedom of Information Request showed that average wait times for the service rose from round 12 minutes in 2023 to 21 minutes in 2024. This marks a 67 per cent increase in a year.
January was the worst month of 2024 for wait times overall. Nearly 12,000 calls ended before being answered and there was an average wait time of 21 minutes and 10 seconds. “Chronic mismanagement from successive SNP health secretaries means average waiting times for those desperate for help have now hit over 20 minutes.
NHS 24 Call Waits Health Service Scotland SNP
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