NHS 111 is a new telephone service to make it easier for you to access local health services. You can call 111 when you need help fast, but it isn’t a 999 emergency.
You can ring 111 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to reach a full range of local health services, including out-of-hours doctors, community nurses, emergency dental care and late opening chemists.
111 will get you through to a team of highly-trained advisers, who are supported by experienced nurses. They will assess your symptoms and guide you to the right local service. Wherever possible, the NHS 111 team will transfer you directly to the people you need to speak to.
Calls from landlines and mobile phones are free – just like 999.
The NHS 111 service is Typetalk friendly (Typetalk is the national telephone relay service for people with communication difficulties) and NHS 111 call advisers have been trained to deal with callers using Typetalk.
You should call 111 if:
For more routine health needs, you should still contact your GP or dentist in the usual way, and for immediate, life-threatening emergencies, call 999.
If you are already receiving healthcare and a health professional has given you a specific telephone number to call when you are concerned about your condition, please use that number first.