What can I call NHS111 for?
1. What is NHS111?
NHS 111 is a telephone and website service (here) for when you have an urgent need.
If you need to contact the NHS for urgent care, there are only three numbers to know:
2. What can I call NHS 111 for?
If you or a family member has an urgent, but not life-threatening, health problem or think you need to go to A&E, you should contact NHS 111 first. A doctor, nurse, paramedic or trained advisor will direct you to the right help quickly and safely.
3. How can I contact NHS 111?
NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To get help from NHS 111, you can:
- Go to 111.nhs.uk online (for people aged 5 and over only)
- Call 111 for free from a landline or mobile phone (all ages).
4. What are the benefits of calling 111 first?
By contacting NHS 111 first if you think you need to attend A&E for an urgent, but not serious or life-threatening medical need, you will:
- Speak with a healthcare professional earlier, and get the right treatment first time
- Avoid waiting for a long time in A&E waiting rooms.
5. Can NHS111 book appointments at your GP, nearest Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) or A&E?
Yes. NHS 111 is able to book appointments for patients at the majority of Urgent Treatment Centres and GPs.
NHS 111 can now also book appointments at any A&E in England for patients that need them. If you are assessed as needing to go to A&E, you will be advised exactly where to go and when.
6. How can NHS 111 help those who struggle with communication or hearing?
All NHS 111 providers follow the Accessible Information Standard, meaning that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss get information they can understand and any communication support they need, e.g., British Sign Language.
For those who have difficulties communicating or hearing, they can:
- Tell the call handler that they need an interpreter
- Call 18001 111 on a text phone or using the Next Generation Text (NGT) Lite app on their smartphone, tablet or computer; or
- Use the NHS 111 British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter service if they’re
deaf or have hearing loss and want to use the phone service.
7. How can NHS 111 First help those who do not have English as their first language?
NHS 111 uses LanguageLine, a phone translation service for people who do not have English as their first language.
Language Line enables you to communicate in over 200 languages 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, connecting you to a professionally qualified interpreter using any phone in under a minute.
8. What if a patient turns up to an A&E?
If you do make your own way to an A&E or Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), you will still receive treatment. Patients needing emergency treatment will be prioritised. However those whose conditions are not as urgent may need to
wait elsewhere or return for a later appointment.
Using 111 first will help you get quicker, safer care in the right environment.
9. When should people call 999, or what if they are unsure if their symptoms are serious or life-threatening?
If you or a family member has a serious or life-threatening health need, it is still important to call 999 immediately.
If you are not sure what to do, you should call NHS 111 and a fully trained health advisor can put you straight through to a healthcare professional. They can also send an ambulance if needed.
10. Who will I speak to at NHS 111?
More than two in three people who call NHS 111 speak to a nurse, doctor, pharmacist or paramedic.
Healthcare professionals oversee NHS 111 calls, providing guidance and taking over the call if a patient has more complex needs. NHS 111 healthcare professionals also have access to individual’s medical notes, mental health crisis plans and lists of shielded patients, to give you the best care possible.
All NHS 111 service GPs have video conferencing facilities available to support their clinical consultations.
11. How long will it take to ring NHS 111, and will I need to repeat information over and over again?
NHS 111 deals with over 1.5 million calls a month, with the average call being resolved in eight minutes.
Sometimes NHS 111 will need to ring the patient back, and the average call back time is around nine minutes.
NHS 111 clinicians can see patients’ own GP records to support their clinical decision making in the NHS 111 call.
NHS 111 repeat callers are automatically identified meaning information about the original call is available to NHS 111, which prevents the need to repeat information.
12. Isn’t NHS 111 just an information line?
No. NHS 111 is much more than information line. It is a key part and contact point for most NHS enquiries.
NHS 111 helps to get the patient to the right service for their clinical needs first time. NHS 111 can make direct appointments at GP surgeries and Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) – as well as send an ambulance should the patient’s condition be serious or life-threatening.
This will drastically reduce your time spent queuing at A&E, or on the phone to a GP’s surgery etc.
13. Is NHS 111 only for physical health problems?
No. Callers in mental health crisis who call 111 are assessed with the same care as callers with physical symptoms. Once assessed, callers are transferred to the local mental health crisis team (MHCT) to ensure they receive timely specialist mental health support.
14. Can I call with a dental issue?
Yes. Callers with urgent dental issues are quickly routed to a dental service who can advise on pain management and if required booked into an emergency out-of-hours dental appointment.
Summary
We have described what can I call NHS111 for? We hope it had helped you.
Last Reviewed on 9 March 2024