Nearly a quarter of Scotland’s NHS 24 calls are being abandoned before they are answered, new figures show.
Between February and June, 23% of calls to the 111 helpline did not reach an operator before the caller cut off.
The average wait over the same period was about 22 minutes.
The unanswered call rates are similar to those recorded during the winter months and come despite £20m of extra funding for NHS 24 and a new call centre in Dundee.
NHS 24 said it was experiencing “very high call volumes” and said calls could be abandoned for numerous reasons.
These include patients ending the call after hearing the automated options – such as accessing advice from the NHS Inform website or calling 999.
A freedom of information request from Scottish Labour revealed that of the 785,456 calls made to the 111 service in the last five months, 180,940 were abandoned.
Paul O’Kane, the party’s public health spokesman, said: “It is clear NHS 24 still cannot cope with the crisis engulfing our NHS.
“Someone looking for help not only faces unanswered calls to NHS 24 but unprecedented waits at A&E, a battle for an appointment with a GP, and record waiting lists for treatment.”
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