For Urgent Care

For life or limb-threatening emergencies you should phone 999 or go directly to A&E. This includes the following:

• suspected heart attacks
• strokes
• severe breathing difficulties
• severe bleeding 
• severe injury

For Non-Urgent Advice:

If you need urgent care or think you should go to A&E but your situation is not life-threatening, you should phone NHS24 by dialling 111. You should phone 111 if you:

• think you need to go to A&E but it’s not life threatening
• are too ill to wait for your GP practice to open
• have worsening symptoms of coronavirus

NHS 24 will help you get the right care in the right place, which will often be closer to home. This may save you long waiting times in A&E. 

The NHS24 service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is completely free. This may involve a telephone or video consultation with a clinician from your local health board or an appointment to attend A&E or Minor Injuries unit, avoiding a long wait in a hospital waiting room.

Find out more about when to call 111 here. 

Use this postcode tool to find out where your nearest A&E or Minor Injuries Unit is. 

Phoning 111 for Cantonese Speakers:

If English isn’t your first or preferred language, you can use the free interpretation service Language Line.

For detailed instructions in Traditional Chinese for calling 111 as a Cantonese speaker, visit the following guide: https://www.nhs24.scot/data/uploads/PDF/languageLine/Calling_111_for_Cantonese_speakers.pdf