What NHS 24 does

NHS 24 is a Scottish special health board, established on 6 April 2001 and headquartered in Glasgow, that operates as the national provider of digital health and care services for the population of Scotland. It delivers triage, health information, and mental health and wellbeing support through four primary channels: the 24/7 111 telephone service, the NHS 24 Online mobile application (Android/iOS) with a 'chat with us' chatbot and symptom checker, webchat, and the NHS inform website. The product portfolio is structured around sub-brands including 111, NHS inform, Breathing Space, Living Life (CBT-based telephone and SilverCloud-guided online support), Quit Your Way Scotland, Care Information Scotland, and Scotland's Service Directory, collectively covering urgent care triage, mental health, smoking cessation, service finder, and self-care guidance.

The technology stack is a multi-channel digital health platform combining telephony infrastructure, conversational chatbot/NLP for the app and webchat, symptom-checking decision tools, and Azure-hosted web properties; no public or partner-facing API, SDK, or webhook integrations are documented. NHS 24 publishes weekly 111 operational statistics and complies with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018, and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

NHS 24 is a government state entity funded by the Scottish Government through NHS Scotland; all services are free at the point of use to residents of Scotland, with no commercial pricing, no chargeable B2B offerings, and no export of services beyond Scotland. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the channels above, supplemented by referrals from the broader NHS Scotland ecosystem (GP practices, hospitals, Scottish Ambulance Service, other special health boards) and by public health campaigns. The sole customer segment is the general public of Scotland, and the sole revenue counterparty is the Scottish Government. Headcount is stated as 1,001–5,000 employees.

Name

NHS 24

Legal name

NHS 24

Website

https://nhs24.scot

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

NHS 24 is Scotland's national digital health and care services provider, operating as a statutory special health board funded by the Scottish Government. It delivers 24/7 triage (111), mental health, symptom checking, and health information via telephone, web, mobile app, and webchat to Scotland's residents, free at the point of use.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Telehealth Services

NAICS

Health Care and Social Assistance (62)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Nurse Triage & Clinical Call-Center Teletriage Platforms (HLALAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

24/7 Nurse Line, Symptom Checker & Triage (Payer-Sponsored) (HLALACAB), Healthcare On‑Demand Platforms (Telehealth, Home Care, Nursing) (BPAMAHAH)

Keywords

• Telehealth triage services
• Digital health services
• Urgent care advice
• Mental health helpline
• Health information portal

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Healthcare Funding: NHS 24 operates as a Scottish special health board funded by the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland. Services are provided free at point of use to the public, funded through general taxation and national insurance contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NHS 24 operates Scotland's national digital health and care services, delivering 24/7 urgent care triage via the 111 telephone line, health information and symptom checking through NHS inform, mental health support through Breathing Space and Living Life, smoking cessation advice via Quit Your Way Scotland, and care information via Care Information Scotland. All services are provided free at point of use to Scottish residents and funded by the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland.

Product overview

NHS 24 is Scotland's national digital health and care services provider and one of Scotland's 7 special health boards. The organization delivers services through multiple channels: telephone (111 service), webchat, websites, and mobile phone app. The core product portfolio includes the NHS 24 Online mobile app (with chatbot, service finder, and push notifications), the 111 telephone triage service for urgent care, NHS inform (health information and symptom checkers), Breathing Space (mental health phone/webchat), Living Life (CBT-based telephone support), Care Information Scotland, Quit Your Way Scotland, and Scotland's Service Directory connecting users to pharmacies, opticians, GP practices, dental services, hospitals, and other health services. The organization publishes weekly 111 operational statistics and maintains comprehensive transparency through Freedom of Information compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 111: Urgent care telephone service for those who think they need A&E but it's not life or limb threatening, mental health distress support, and advice when GP, pharmacy or dental practice is closed.
• NHS inform
• Breathing Space
• Quit Your Way Scotland
• Living Life
• Care Information Scotland

Products and services

• 111 Service The 111 telephone service provides urgent care guidance for non-life-threatening situations requiring A&E-level attention, mental health distress support, and out-of-hours advice when GP practices, pharmacies, or dental practices are closed. It is available 24/7 to residents of Scotland free of charge.
• NHS inform A quality-assured health and care information service providing symptom checkers, Scotland's Service Directory, and mental health advice and resources for the Scottish public.
• Breathing Space A free and confidential phone and webchat service for anyone in Scotland over the age of 16 experiencing low mood, depression, or anxiety.
• Living Life A telephone service offering cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) support to people in Scotland experiencing low mood, mild to moderate depression, or anxiety symptoms, with guided online self-help programmes delivered via SilverCloud.
• Care Information Scotland A phone, webchat, and website service providing information about care services for people living in Scotland.
• Quit Your Way Scotland An advice and support service for anyone in Scotland trying to stop smoking, delivered through NHS inform.
• Scotland's Service Directory A directory of health and wellbeing services across Scotland including pharmacies, opticians, GP practices, dental services, sexual health clinics, hospitals, A&E, and Minor Injuries Units.
• Mental Health Services at NHS 24 NHS 24 mental health services available to everyone in Scotland of all ages, providing support for mental health distress through telephone and digital channels.
• NHS 24 Online App A free mobile application available for Android and iOS that provides health and care advice through a chatbot ('chat with us'), 'find a service' function, and push notifications to help users access appropriate care.
• 111 Operational Statistics Weekly published key statistics relating to the 111 service, available in XLSX and PDF formats dating back to 2023, supporting transparency and Freedom of Information compliance.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Forces Families JobsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerForces Families Jobs is a resource for family members of currently-serving UK military personnel to explore training, volunteering, and employment opportunities. NHS 24 has registered on this portal to share all vacancies with the armed forces community.
• Armed Forces Talent ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS Scotland-wide recruitment initiative for the armed forces community supporting service leavers, veterans, spouses, partners, dependants, reservists, cadets, and cadet forces adult volunteers to enter the NHS workforce. NHS 24 actively participates in this programme.
• NHS ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS 24 operates as one of Scotland's 7 special health boards under NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government. The nhs24.scot website is delivered through NHS Scotland infrastructure and follows all NHS Scotland data security standards and protocols.
• Information CommissionerminorOthersNHS 24's data protection practices are subject to oversight by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which regulates data protection and privacy in the UK.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NHS 111 (England): NHS 111 is England's equivalent non-emergency telephone triage service, operated across multiple integrated care boards. It is the most direct functional peer to NHS 24's 111 service, sharing the same triage mandate, NHS branding, and clinical assessment algorithms, but serving a ~56 million population versus Scotland's ~5.5 million.
• Healthdirect Australia: Healthdirect Australia operates a national government-funded helpline, symptom checker, and health information service. It mirrors NHS 24's model of 24/7 nurse triage, digital symptom assessment, and population-wide consumer delivery, but serves the Australian federal/state healthcare system.
• Teladoc Health: Teladoc Health is a global telehealth incumbent offering virtual urgent care, mental health, and chronic condition management. While broader than NHS 24, it provides a comparable 24/7 virtual triage and care navigation service across multiple geographies.

Direct peers

• NHS Direct Wales: NHS Direct Wales provides the 111 telephone and online triage service for Wales under the NHS Wales framework. It is the closest direct peer to NHS 24 in terms of national mandate, scale, statutory status, and service portfolio including symptom checkers and health information.
• SilverCloud Health: SilverCloud Health provides CBT-based guided online self-help programmes — the same platform NHS 24 uses within its Living Life service. It is a direct technology peer for NHS 24's mental health digital therapeutic capabilities.

Emerging players

• Babylon Health (eMed): Babylon Health (now part of eMed) was a leading commercial telehealth and AI symptom-checker provider, directly comparable to NHS 24's digital symptom checker and triage capabilities, but delivered as a commercial product rather than a public-sector monopoly.
• Ada Health: Ada Health is a commercial AI-powered symptom assessment and triage platform used by health systems globally. It competes with NHS 24's symptom checker functionality and represents the venture-backed commercial alternative to public-sector triage.
• LIVI (Kry): LIVI is a digital GP and triage platform operating within the NHS in the UK. It overlaps with NHS 24's primary care triage and symptom-checker functions but is delivered as a contracted commercial service rather than a statutory monopoly.

Others

• 999 Emergency Services (UK): The UK's 999 emergency service and NHS 111 form a complementary triage pathway where NHS 24's 111 service is designed to deflect non-emergency cases from 999 and A&E. It is an adjacent public-sector peer sharing clinical triage logic but operating at the emergency end of the urgency spectrum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/nhs-24
• Xx.com/nhs24
• Facebookfacebook.com/nhs24

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NHS 24