Health · England
Getting urgent health help
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This guide is for people in England.
Ask for help when someone becomes unwell.
Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency.
This includes severe breathing problems or a serious injury.
Tell the call handler where you are.
Explain what has happened.
Follow their instructions.
Call 111 if you need medical help now and are unsure where to go.
They can explain the next step.
If you need 111 for a complex health problem, use the phone.
Use the phone if you have a care plan for this problem.
Use the phone for a child under five.
Tell staff what is different from the person’s usual health.
Explain how they communicate pain or feeling unwell.
Tell staff about the person’s emergency care plan.
Do not assume new symptoms are part of their disability.
111 has text relay and British Sign Language support.
Ask your health team to help plan how you will contact urgent services.
Ask what to do if symptoms get worse.
Contact the service again if this happens.
Call 999 if it becomes a life-threatening emergency.
What you can do next
Use the NHS route that fits the urgency.
Tell staff about communication support and any individual care plan.
Read NHS guidance on using 111 Web pageThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- When to call 999 Web page
NHS emergency advice.
- NHS 111 in British Sign Language Web page
BSL video access to NHS 111.
- NHS sepsis information Web page
Current symptoms and urgent action, with an Easy Read link.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Getting urgent health help
Choose the right NHS route and explain the person’s health and communication needs.
Children and adults · England · Follow individual clinical emergency plans
For an emergency, call 999
Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency, such as stroke symptoms, serious injury or severe breathing difficulty. Say where you are, what has happened and how to contact you. Follow the call handler’s instructions. Do not delay an emergency call while searching for paperwork or trying to reach a routine service.
Use urgent or routine GP care appropriately
Contact the GP about new or ongoing health concerns. For an urgent appointment, telephone the practice and explain why help is needed quickly. If it is closed, its recorded message should explain local arrangements. For planned reviews or concerns that can safely wait, use routine appointments. NHS 111 can advise when urgent help is needed and you are unsure where to go.
Choose the right way to use 111
Call 111 for a child under five, complex problems linked to an existing condition, or when you have a clinical plan for the current problem. Online symptom checking is for people aged five and over and is not the best route for every situation. Depending on need, 111 can advise about urgent treatment, an out-of-hours GP or another service.
Explain changes and existing plans
Describe what the person is usually like and what has changed. Explain their communication, pain signals and relevant medicines or conditions. Follow their individual plan for known emergencies, such as seizures, and tell clinicians about it. New or unexpected symptoms still need assessment. Sepsis can develop quickly and be harder to recognise when someone communicates differently; suspected sepsis needs immediate medical help.
Arrange accessible contact
For NHS 111, text relay is available through 18001 111 and British Sign Language support through the NHS 111 SignVideo service. You can ask for an interpreter. Tell the service if someone is helping you communicate. Ask your health team to plan accessible contact arrangements before an urgent situation arises.
Keep the next step clear
Ask what will happen next, who will contact you and what changes mean you should seek help again. If symptoms worsen while waiting, contact the service again; call 999 for life-threatening deterioration. Keep local team and out-of-hours numbers in the care plan. Do not assume a routine team monitors emails overnight.
Words you could use
“This is different from the person’s usual health. They communicate by … . Their current care plan says … . Please explain the next step.”
More useful links
- When to call 999 Web page
NHS emergency advice.
- NHS 111 in British Sign Language Web page
BSL video access to NHS 111.
- NHS sepsis information Web page
Current symptoms and urgent action, with an Easy Read link.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 27 October 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- NHS: when to call 999 Web page
Emergency calls and information for call handlers.
- NHS: using 111 Web page
Telephone and online routes, complex needs and accessible contact.
- NHS: sepsis Web page
Urgent deterioration and difficulties recognising symptoms.
- NHS England: individual clinical care Web pageProfessional guidance
Communicating changes, pain and support needs.
- NHS: GP appointments Web page
Telephone contact for urgent GP appointments and local out-of-hours instructions.