"difficult to decide whether to go to A&E"

Dear Famous486

Thank you for your feedback via Patient Opinion. I am keen to explore your comments further and would very much wlecome the opportunity to do so if you care to contact me directly. NHS 24 welcomes patient feedback as this assists us in improving our service.

I would like to clarify with you whether you had difficulty in getting through to our service, or whether you feel the time waiting for a call back, or for us to manage your call, was excessive. It may be helpful if I explain that calls to NHS 24 are prioritised on the symptoms being displayed by the patient. We always try to pass a call to an NHS 24 Nurse Practitioner for immediate assessment, however if all Nurse Practitioners are dealing with other patients, some calls are required to be placed on the clinical queue to await a call back within 1, 2 or 3 hours. Calls awaiting a call back are monitored and prioritised at all times by NHS 24 Senior Clinical Staff to ensure patient safety.

I can be contacted directly on 0141 337 4582 or by email at patientaffairs@nhs24.scot.nhs.uk

I look forward to hearing from you further.

With kind regards

Shona Lawrence

NHS 24 Patient Affairs Manager