NHS Lothian phones disrupted as callers unable to get through to hospital

Callers to NHS Lothian have been unable to get through.

Multiple numbers for NHS Lothian have been affected, with callers being greeted by a message which says the length of the disruption is currently unknown.

The message says: “Multiple services are currently experiencing issues with incoming calls. BT are working to get this issue resolve as soon as possible.

"We are currently unsure how long this issue will continue for."

The message ends with a promise of a further update later this afternoon.

One caller, who asked not to be named, had tried to contact EDinburgh Royal Infirmary and had been met on multiple numbers by the recorded message.

She said: “I was trying to find out about a friend who is in hospital as I wanted to know if there is anything we can drop off, but we can’t get through.

"It's so stressful, I've tried multiple numbers and can't get any answer.

"There's nothing on the website to explain the problem or what we can do.

"It must be awful for those in hospital who might be at a low point and are waiting on calls from loved one coming in.

"If you have older people who might not have a mobile then they're not getting any contact from their support network.”

NHS Lothian have been contacted for comment.