This special health board runs a telephone advice and triage service that covers the out-of-hours period (Mondays to Fridays between 6pm and 8am, public holidays and all weekend).
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 practitioner when the practice is next open.
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 NHS24 web page and selecting the "NHS Self-help guide" option.
To reflect the healthcare needs of the Scottish population NHS 24 work with individuals, groups and organisations from different areas of health and social care policy and practice in Scotland.
[6] Following the establishment of NHS Direct in England, Susan Deacon Minister for Health and Community Care announced in December 2000 that a 24-hour helpline service would be set up for Scotland.
[11] The telephone helpline service launched in May 2002, with the first contact centre in Aberdeen providing advice to callers from the Grampian area using around 85 nurses and 40 other staff.
[18] The algorithms used by the NHS24 call handlers in 2004 were purchased under licence from an American company but these weren't divulged to other clinicians working in the health service due to clauses in the commercial agreement.
[20] By January 2009, sickness absence had reduced and there was a low waiting time for call pick-ups except for during spikes of demand, however the organisation had now appointed its fourth chief executive in just five years.
[26] In September 2011, Capgemini were announced as the preferred bidder for a customer relations management system, replacing the previous supplier Clinical Solutions.