I am happy to support the NHS 111 First Initiative, which aims to make it easier and safer for patients to receive the right treatment at the right time.
Please call NHS 111 first if you think you or someone with you needs to attend an emergency department for an urgent, but not serious or life-threatening, medical need.
NHS 111 aims to make it easier and safer for patients to get the right treatment at the right time. It means that if patients need to be seen at an emergency department, an appointment can be booked via NHS 111.
By contacting NHS 111 first – whether online or by phone – 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
- be able to arrange an urgent face-to-face appointment, if needed
- avoid waiting for a long time in emergency waiting rooms
NHS 111 can also make direct appointments at GP surgeries and urgent treatment centres. They can also despatch an ambulance if the patient’s condition is serious or life-threatening.
Arrangements have not changed for people with serious or life-threatening illnesses or injuries, who should continue to dial 999 without delay.
Find out more here.