When should you call 999
In a high stress situation, it can be hard to know who to ask for help. But if you call 999 and it’s not an emergency, you could be delaying us from responding to someone who needs our help more.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 999 or 112. If you need medical attention but it's not life-threatening or you don’t know what to do, call 111.
You can also get help from 111 online.
It's your call. Make the right choice.
Self-care
Take care of minor ailments like colds, sore throats and hangovers at home with a first aid kit and a well-stocked medicine cabinet.
Pharmacy
Ask your local pharmacist for advice on common minor illnesses, like headaches, stomach aches and coughs.
GP surgery
Make an appointment with your GP if you are feeling unwell and it is not an emergency. For example, ear aches and back pain.
Urgent care unit
Get help at an urgent treatment centre if you can't wait to see your GP. Use this service for minor cuts, sprains or rashes.
NHS 111
Call NHS 111 if you urgently need medical advice or you are not sure which NHS service you need. You can also get help from 111 online.
Call 999
Call 999 if someone has a life-threatening illness or injury, like choking, strokes, chest pains and breathing problems.
You can use Emergency-SMS to contact us by text message. You need to register for this service in advance. Register now.
If you need an ambulance, you’ll be patched through to our call handlers. They’ll ask you:
- what happened
- where you are
- how we can contact you
- to describe the injury or illness
- if the patient is conscious and breathing
- if there is any bleeding or chest pain.
We’ll also ask you about the patient’s age, sex and medical history (if you know it).
You may need to stay on the phone while an ambulance is dispatched. Our call handlers will give you medical advice on how to help the patient until we get there.
Answering these questions will not impact how quickly we’ll arrive. But it does mean you might be able to administer first aid in the meantime.
Stay with the patient until we arrive and try to remain calm. Tell us if the patient’s condition or location changes.
If you’re at home or at work, you should:
- check that your house number or name is clearly visible from the roadside
- get someone to open the doors or stand outside to signal us when help arrives
- write down the patient's GP's details (if you know them)
- collect any medication they may need
- lock away any family pets.
If you’re on the street, stay with the patient until the ambulance or rapid response vehicle arrives. If you’re in your car, turn your hazard lights on.
Remember that we’re here to help and any violence towards our ambulance crews will not be tolerated.
If we are able to send a community first responder, they may arrive before ambulances do. Help may arrive in:
- a rapid response vehicle
- a cycle response unit in city centres and on beaches in the summer
- their own car
We may also send:
- a single-crewed response vehicle with an emergency care practitioner, paramedic or emergency medical technician
- the air ambulance
- an emergency doctor
If you’ve had to contact our 999 emergency service recently, we’d like to hear from you. Your feedback will help us to improve our service and ultimately save more lives.
Complete our Emergency Services Patient Experience Survey.
