NHS 111

NHS 111 image

Home » Your Health and Care » Find a Service » NHS 111

NHS 111 and coronarivus

If you think you might have coronavirus, you should stay indoors and avoid contact with other people. Please use the dedicated NHS 111 online coronavirus service before calling 111.

What is NHS 111?

111 is the free NHS service which you should use if you need medical help or advice that isn’t an emergency. 111 is available 24 hours a day, all year round and staffed by a local team that will get you the help you need, right when you need it.

You can contact NHS 111 by using the free online service (111.nhs.uk) or by calling 111 from any telephone.

For less urgent health needs, you should still contact your GP or local pharmacist in the usual way.


When should you contact NHS 111?

You should contact NHS 111 only if:

  • you need medical help fast but it’s not a 999 emergency;
  • you think you need to go to A&E or need another NHS urgent care service;
  • you don’t know who to call or you don’t have a GP to call;
  • you’re not sure how to access local health services;
  • you’re not sure whether you can treat a medical condition yourself;
  • you need urgent dental care but your dental surgery is closed; or
  • you need health information or reassurance about what to do next.

You should only call 999 if it is an immediate, life threatening emergency. Before you call 999 or go to A&E, please ask yourself whether your situation is a real emergency.

What happens when you call?

You’ll be put through to a trained adviser from the NHS 111 team who will ask you about your symptoms, so they can give you the help or service you need. Depending on what your needs are, they’ll put you through to a nurse or doctor who will:

  • give you clinical advice over the phone;
  • book an appointment at your GP surgery or, if it’s out of hours, with a local GP Hub in your area;
  • direct you to a walk in centre;
  • book an appointment with an emergency dentist; or
  • put you in touch with your community nursing service.

If the NHS 111 adviser thinks you need an ambulance, they’ll immediately arrange for one to be sent out to you.


What happens when you use the NHS 111 online service?

People visit 111.nhs.uk, enter their age, sex, postcode and main symptom and are then asked a series of questions about their health problem.

They can:

  • find out how to get the right healthcare in their area, including whether they need to see a GP or seek urgent care
  • get advice on self-care
  • in most areas, get a call back from a nurse, doctor or other trained health professional if they need it
View all news

Latest news and highlights

News

2 May 2025

Robin Porter appointed as chair of Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes Integrated…

Robin Porter, former chief executive of Luton Council, has been appointed as the new chair of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board. He…

News

30 April 2025

Make time to have conversations on dying

Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board is encouraging residents to have conversations about death, dying, and grief as part of Dying Matters Awareness…

News

25 April 2025

Supplying local care homes with chairs to lift residents after a fall…

A chair which helps lift care home residents safely and quickly in an emergency after a fall has been proven to reduce avoidable ambulance callouts and associated healthcare costs, improve…

News

23 April 2025

Longest waits for NHS hospital treatment show further fall

New figures have revealed that the numbers of patients facing the longest waits for treatment at local hospitals have fallen significantly over the last 12 months. The data, published by…

News

17 April 2025

Get the care you need this Easter: advice on NHS opening times…

Many families will be looking forward to spending the Easter holiday together, but NHS staff will also enjoy the chance to take a long weekend with loved ones, meaning that…

News

17 April 2025

The importance of mental wellbeing – Stress Awareness Month

Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System is marking Stress Awareness Month by encouraging people to prioritise their mental wellbeing and seek support to help manage stress and anxiety.…