NHS 24

NHS 24 is Scotland's national telehealth and telecare organisation. This special health board runs a telephone advice and triage service that cover the out of hours period. The telephone service allows people who feel unwell or those caring for them to obtain health advice and information if it is not convenient or possible to wait until they can visit their general practictioner when the practice is next open. The advice line is not intended as a substitute for obtaining an emergency ambulance service via 999. The telehealth services provided by NHS Scotland fulfil some similar functions to NHS Direct Wales and the NHS 111 scheme in England.

The service can be used in more than one way:

This enables advice to be obtained without a consultation by answering a series of questions after accessing the main http://www.nhs24.com/ web page and selecting the NHS Self-help guide option. Users will be given one of three final results :

Since 2005 the NHS 24 Internet service has included access to information from a NHS Health Encyclopaedia, giving information on illnesses, conditions, tests and treatment and to pharmacy opening times throughout Scotland. The information that is made available via this internet service is used under licence from the UK Department of Health.

111 is the current, normal telephone number for most callers who are able to use a telephone without difficulty. This number is free to call from mobile phones as well as landlines, and was adopted across Scotland in April 2014 to replace the old number, 08454 24 24 24 which is being phased out.

A translation service is provided for a number of languages for which leaflets are issued which instruct callers to tell the NHS 24 staff :

18001 08454 24 24 24

At the end of the consultation, NHS 24 will contact the Scottish Ambulance Service if necessary.

Instructions for use of the service by people who do not speak English are available on the website or in paper form by calling 0141 435 3901.

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