...BUT BOSS IS STILL PAID 6 FIGURES

NHS 24 was launched in 2002 as an out-of-hours nurse consultation service and has a £91 million annual budget and almost 2,000 staff.

Since it began, it has taken more than 20 million calls from the public – and now fields about 1.5 million calls every year and around 14,500 each weekend.

It provides urgent health advice to patients whose GP practice or dental surgery is closed and to those in mental distress. Amid soaring pressures on hospitals its remit also now includes taking the heat off emergency departments, with health boards urging people to call NHS 24 on 111 before turning up at A&E in all but the most serious cases.

Patients initially speak to a call handler who asks a series of questions to gauge how urgently they need help. The call may then be passed to a nurse, dental nurse or pharmacist, but at busy times patients may then have to wait for a call back. NHS 24’s chief executive is Jim Miller, pictured, who previously worked in aviation and construction. He took up his latest post in April and receives an annual salary of £103,998-£140,579.