Four million calls to NHS 111 abandoned last year with waiting times of 25 minutes

Average wait time hit 25 minutes in December 2022

The NHS 111 service is a phone line and website (Getty/The Independent)

Almost 4 million calls to the NHS 111 service were abandoned last year as callers struggled to get through to the helpline.

People calling 111 waited an average of 25 minutes to get through in December, figures released by the Department of Health and Social Care show.

Opposition parties are urging a recruitment drive for the service, with Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey accusing ministers of “burying their heads in the sand”.