Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42074 on 27 November 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government instructed ScotRail to carry out necessary recruitment to secure staff to allow ScotRail to deliver the best possible customer service to its passengers. Further to this, ScotRail’s staffing levels are currently at an all-time high.

Whilst the Scottish Government expects that ScotRail strives to provide the best possible service to people of Scotland, this is an operational matter for ScotRail.

Results of the passenger satisfaction survey carried out regularly by the independent transport watchdog, Transport Focus, show that ScotRail achieves better scores than many other train operators in GB. ScotRail performs better in all areas when compared to the GB average.

These are operational matters for ScotRail as the train operating company. The Member may wish to contact ScotRail directly.

In addition, Office of Rail and Road publishes information on punctuality via its statistics portal, which the Member can access here.

The Scottish Government continues to invest in and support NHS 24 as a vital part of Scotland’s health and care system. Over the past two financial years, NHS 24 has received more than £26.9 million in additional funding to increase its capacity and improve patient access.

More than 100 new call handlers have been recruited, bringing staffing close to full levels to reduce handling times and manage demand.

Additionally, NHS 24 launched its digital transformation programme on 21 October 2025 to modernise services, improve patient experience, streamline clinical pathways, and ensure faster access to appropriate care.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government does not collect or hold data on the number of patients who make multiple calls to the NHS 24 111 service. The service operates as a clinical triage and advice service, and repeat contacts can occur for a range of legitimate reasons. These may include changes in a patient’s symptoms, clarification of previous advice, or the need for further support following an initial call. As such, without specific data collection, it is not possible to determine whether the number of repeat calls has increased since 2020.

Improving access to primary care is a key priority for this Government. We recognise the vital role that GPs, community nurses, pharmacists, dentists and other members of the primary care team play as the foundation of healthcare in our communities.

We are committed to strengthening the whole primary care system, building on our ongoing commitment through the Service Renewal Framework to shift more care into community settings and make services more accessible for patients.

As part of this, we will develop options for new and innovative ways to improve access to primary care, including local walk-in models which will provide more flexibility for patients. It is our intention to develop proposals for a model would see these services open Monday-Sunday. We will develop these proposals first as a pilot model which will complement current core general practice and provide a range of same-day assessment and small-scale diagnostics. To do this we will work in collaboration with NHS Boards and primary care delivery partners to ensure they strengthen, rather than duplicate, existing primary care services.

The Scottish Government will set out further details as these plans develop.

NHS 24 operate under clear, evidence-based clinical protocols that are designed to safeguard patient safety and ensure timely access to care. These include a structured triage system, clinical decision support tools, and escalation pathways for urgent or complex cases, which apply equally to repeat callers.

The Scottish Government monitors compliance with these protocols and expects NHS 24 to adhere to them rigorously. Detailed information on specific guidance may be obtained from NHS 24.

The Scottish Government does not hold this data.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes regular statistics relating to waiting times in A&E.

The latest publication can be found here: Accident and emergency - Urgent and unscheduled care - Healthcare system - Public Health Scotland

The Scottish Government does not collect data on the number of callers who report being unable to access care after multiple attempts to contact NHS 24.

The Scottish Government continues to support NHS 24, including revising performance indicators to better reflect demand and improve service delivery. Over the past two financial years, NHS 24 has received £28.3 million in additional funding, enabling the recruitment of 22 extra clinicians and achieving its highest-ever treatment capacity.