Features

Fri, January 06, 2012

THOUSANDS SEEK HELP OVER FESTIVE BREAK

More than 110,000 people were helped by Scotland’s national telehealth helpline and web services at NHS 24 over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Almost 80,000 telephone calls were made to NHS 24 over the festive break. On average, calls to NHS 24 were answered within four seconds.

Latest figures show that NHS 24 received almost 36,000 calls over the four-day Hogmanay weekend. The busiest day of New Year was on Monday 2nd January when just over 10,000 calls were taken.

This followed the festive four-day break when the service dealt with more than 32,000 calls from patients across Scotland, with the busiest day being Tuesday 27th December with over 10,200 calls.

Call demand was lower than last year when the harsh weather and flu virus saw record numbers of calls to the service.

NHS 24 websites including www.nhs24.com, www.nhsinform.co.uk and www.careinfoscotland.co.uk saw more than 35,000 visitors during the festive period.
The most viewed pages included those seeking self care advice for common winter ailments such as colds, coughing and flu, with many seeking information on the Be Ready for Winter campaign.

NHS 24 Medical Director Professor George Crooks, OBE, said: “We have been busy, as expected, over the Christmas and New Year period, taking calls from patients across the country when their GP surgeries were closed. Our staff have done a fantastic job, working hard to support patients and their families during the festive period.

“Although the weather has not been as cold as last year, we should all remember that winter is not yet over and we still need to look after ourselves in the months ahead. Many of the calls we have taken during the last few weeks have related to coughs, colds and other seasonal illness which affect many people at this time of year.

“GP surgeries are now open as usual and we would also remind people that they can take a few simple steps to look after their own and their family’s health this winter. Minor illnesses can be treated at home and community pharmacies are also a good source of information and advice.”

There is also a huge range of information and quality self care advice for the winter period available at www.nhsinform.co.uk 

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