Almost four million people abandoned calls to NHS 111 last year, with waiting times hitting an average of 25 minutes throughout December, new research has shown.

The figures from a survey commissioned by the Liberal Democrats showed 17.8% of callers to the health advice line – or 3,682,516 people – gave up before getting through in 2022, with1,089,045 hanging up before speaking to someone in December alone.

Average wait times also hit 25 minutes in the same month as winter pressures, such as rising cases of flu and COVID, as well as strike action in the health service.

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The research comes amid the latest wave of industrial action from junior doctors, with tens of thousands staging a walkout for the next four days as part of a bitter pay dispute with the government.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey will later call for an emergency recruitment drive for NHS 111 call handlers, encouraging retried and former staff to return to the service, as his party ramps up their local election campaign.

Placing the blame at the door of the government, Sir Ed said: “It is completely unacceptable that so many people in need of urgent medical advice are struggling to get through to NHS 111.

“Staff are exhausted, patients are left in pain, but still Conservative ministers are burying their heads in the sand.

“The government must urgently hire and train more staff to take 111 calls, or else millions more people will be left in pain for far too long.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This analysis is based on statistics from last year – since then we have published our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan to help the NHS deliver for patients which includes increasing the number of NHS 111 call handlers to 4,800.

“Our plan will deliver one of the fastest and longest sustained improvements in emergency waiting times in the NHS’s history, with £14.1bn made available for health and social care over the next two years on top of record funding.”

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Meanwhile, Labour will today focus its local election campaign on the cost of living crisis, with party leader Sir Keir Starmer claiming Prime Minister Rishi Sunak‘s “fingerprints are all over… struggling household budgets”.

Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves will highlight the party’s pledge to help more first-time buyers on to the housing ladder on a campaign visit to Brighton.

New analysis from the party shows that first-time buyers face a nearly £500 per month hike in mortgage bills in the wake of Liz Truss’s ill-fated mini-budget and interest rate rises.

The Conservative Party has been contacted for a response.

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