NHS 24 marks 20-year anniversary as it opens new centre

NHS 24 is marking its 20-year anniversary this week, as the service opens a new centre in Glasgow.

Nicola Sturgeon formally opened the building in Hillington on Monday morning.

Originally set up as a pilot project to support patients in Grampian, the telephone service quickly expanded and by 2004 was available for the whole of Scotland.

NHS 24 now provides a range of services in addition to the core telephone triage line – which was changed to 111 in 2014.

It received its first call at 2.10pm on May 8 2002, at the Riverside contact centre in Aberdeen

On March 26 this year, NHS 24 received its 27 millionth call.

The First Minister said: “NHS 24 has been a critical part of our NHS in Scotland for many years and it is fantastic to see the way the service continues to develop and adapt to the changing needs of the population.

“From the expanded 111 service available 24 hours a day seven days a week, to a key role in responding to the outbreak of Covid-19 and now dedicated mental health support through the NHS 24 Mental Health Hub and Breathing Space, it has become an indispensable part of our health service.”

NHS 24 chief executive, Jim Miller, said: “As we slowly emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, NHS 24 is taking the opportunity to look at its services, technology and workforce to ensure we continue to meet the needs of people across Scotland.

“The progress we have made in the past two decades is really impressive and we are determined to continue to work collaboratively with colleagues across the health and social care system to make sure people get the right care in the right place.”