More than a quarter of a million NHS24 calls in Scotland were not picked up last year, according to figures seen exclusively by The Herald.
The recent figures - obtained via a freedom of information request from the Scottish Liberal Democrats - showed that 16.5 % of calls to the NHS24 111 service went answered.
A total of 1,728,233 calls were made to the 111 service last year. Out of these, 285,158 were left unanswered.
The freedom of information request also shows that in 2023/24, the longest wait for a call to be answered was more than 3 hours in January 2024. The average wait for a call to be answered was almost 28 minutes in March 2024.
The recent figures show a decrease in comparison to last year when 477,965 phone calls were not picked up out of 1,919,537 calls made.
In light of the recent figures, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrat Alex Cole-Hamilton, criticised the Scottish Government’s ‘mismanagement’ of the health service.
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Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “As these figures show, too many calls are going unanswered and people are facing very long waits before they get through to someone who can help.
“Under the SNP’s mismanagement, this is another part of our NHS that is crying out for help. From excruciating waits at A&E to record numbers of people stuck in hospital, patients are suffering and staff are beyond breaking point.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats want a complete overhaul of the SNP’s failed NHS recovery plan. We need a new plan that will tackle burnout among staff and address core problems, such as the crises in mental health and social care. That’s how we can ease pressures across the rest of the health service and get everyone the care they desperately deserve.”
Last week, the Health Secretary Neil Gray said a third of callers to the 111 service could find the information they need on the NHS Inform website in a bid to relieve pressure from the health service during winter.
Figures from last week showed showed patients are increasingly waiting more than 40 minutes for NHS 24 to answer their call.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Some calls to the 111 service go unanswered for various reasons. Often, callers end the call after hearing automated options, opting instead for self-care advice from NHS Inform or seeking help from other health services better suited to their needs.
“NHS 24 is committed to improving all waiting times, especially during peak periods when demand is high. We continue to support and invest in the service, which now has a record number of call handlers to support with inevitable increases in demand over the winter period.”
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