What is a medical emergency?

Medical emergencies when you should text 111 are when:

• Someone has difficulty breathing.
• Someone has chest pain. This can feel like a ‘weight’ or a ‘squeezing feeling’ in your chest.
• Someone fainting or being unconscious.
• Someone may have had a stroke. They may have suddenly gone weak, their vision has changed, they are dizzy or have difficulty talking.
• Someone has severe pain anywhere.
• Someone has bleeding that won’t stop.
• There’s been a car crash and people are injured.

Examples of medical non-emergencies are:

• Generally being unwell - unless you have some of the symptoms listed above.
• Minor injuries like sprains or small cuts – provided they’re not bleeding uncontrollably.
• Minor burns – burns that are smaller than twice the size of your hand.
• Coughs or colds.
• If you need to report something that's not a medical emergency, you should see your doctor.