Use NHS 111 online (111.nhs.uk) or call 111 if you think you need medical help right now. We can direct you to the best place to get help if you cannot contact your GP during the day, or when your GP is closed (out-of-hours). Depending on what you need, you might be advised to: call 999 or go to A&E in an emergency.
Call 111 to speak to someone if you need to: discuss complex medical problems. discuss worries about a long-term condition. get end-of-life care, or report a death.
111 is a non-emergency number – it should only be used when you need immediate medical advice and guidance, however it is NOT a life-threatening situation. So basically you call 111 if you need medical help that cannot wait for a GP appointment, but isn't serious enough for an ambulance.
NHS 111 helps people get the right advice and treatment when they urgently need it.
Based on your answers, the health adviser will: send an ambulance for you if you need one. refer you to an urgent care service. refer you to another healthcare professional (such as a GP or dentist)
24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To get help from NHS 111, you can: Go online to 111.nhs.uk (for assessment of people aged 5 and over only). Call 111 for free from a landline or mobile phone.
Depending on the situation, the NHS 111 team can connect you to a nurse, emergency dentist or even a GP, and can arrange face-to-face appointments if they think you need one. NHS 111 advisers can also assess if you need an ambulance and send one immediately if necessary.
To ensure that patients get the right care as quickly as possible, save people long waits in A&E, and ensure emergency departments don't get too crowded, patients are being asked to call NHS 111 first before going to their A&E – except in absolute emergencies.
Upon dialling 111, the caller will first hear a recorded message: "You have dialed 111 emergency; your call is being connected." This message was added in 2008 to allow people who have accidentally dialled 111 to hang up straight away.
It should take 8 minutes for the ambulance to arrive if the call is life threatening or an emergency. Ambulance services often send more than one vehicle to try to meet the 8 minute target.
You cannot use this service to get: antibiotics for a new or recent problem.
111 - non-emergency medical advice
Calls to this number are always free from mobiles and landlines.
Calling 999 is for emergencies only. NHS 111 is for people who need medical help and advice when not in a life-threatening situation. Highly trained advisors, who are supported by healthcare professionals, are available on NHS 111 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 111 or go online to 111.nhs.uk.
Did you know that there is another way to contact NHS 111 other than by phone? If you have a healthcare concern and you aren't sure where to go, you can go online to 111.nhs.uk.
The police and NHS have released new numbers for people to dial when they need help fast but in a non-emergency situation. The lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you need to get in touch with the police the number to dial is 101 and the number for the NHS is 111.
You should always call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk. Examples of medical emergencies include (but are not limited to): Cardiac arrest/ collapse/ unconsciousness. Chest pain / heart attack.
Text from a phone you have registered on the Police website:
You must text 111 from a phone number you registered on the Police website, otherwise your text won't go through. If you use a phone belonging to someone who hasn't registered, the text won't go through.
NHS 111 can also make direct appointments online, by phone or face–to–face with a variety of health services, including Urgent Treatment Centres, a patient's own GP, specialised mental health crisis services, dental services and pharmacists for urgent repeat prescriptions and advice.
General guidelines - When to visit an emergency room
wheezing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. chest pain. displaced or open wound fractures. fainting or dizziness.
A nurse will try and call you up to 3 times. If they cannot contact you they will leave a message, but you will not be able to call them back.
Call 995 For Emergencies Only
You can make a difference between life and death by knowing what is an emergency. For life-threatening cases such as cardiac arrest, active seizures, breathlessness, major traumas and stroke, call 995.
NHS England data shows it took an average of 82 seconds, or around one and a half minutes, for South East London 111 helpline operators to answer calls from people seeking medical help in September – 19 times longer than in April (four seconds).
Silent 999 calls
If you're in danger but you can't talk on the phone, you should still call 999, then follow these instructions. Call 101 for non-emergency enquiries. If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service on 18001 101.
Contact the police by calling 999 to report emergencies or by calling 101 for non-emergencies.
Members of the public called the NHS 111 service 1.4 million times last month, an increase of 8% compared with the same time last year. 38,000 people received help via the phone line each day last month, contributing to the total of 16 million calls to 111 in the past twelve months.