One in five NHS 24 calls abandoned

NEARLY one in five Scots who phoned NHS 24 last year ultimately abandoned their calls, shocking new figures reveal.

- By Ben Borland

Statistics obtained by the Scottish Conservatives show more than 317,000 calls (19.2%) to the service were abandoned.

Shadow health secretary Dr Sandesh Gulhane said it was another damning example of the SNP's failure to invest in frontline NHS services.

During the peak winter period in December, patients were waiting on average for 42 minutes to be connected and more than a quarter of calls, 26.2%, were abandoned.

The longest individual wait in 2024 stretched over four hours and four minutes in September, with similar extreme delays recorded in July and October.

Dr Gulhane said the figures were also a reflection of the SNP's failure to tackle GP shortages and A&E waiting times.