When to Go to A&E: Common Questions
The hospital department for serious injury and illness, open at all hours and never turning anyone away.
Last revised
When to Go to A&E: the questions people actually ask, answered from published guidance.
Key takeaways
- What it is for: chest pain, breathing difficulty, heavy bleeding, loss of consciousness, severe injury
- Order of treatment: by clinical need, not by arrival time
- Most useful single change: Call 999 rather than travelling yourself if someone may be having a heart attack or stroke.
- Commonest mistake: Going for repeat prescriptions, sick notes or long-standing problems.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
What is When to Go to A&E?
The hospital department for serious injury and illness, open at all hours and never turning anyone away.
Why does it matter?
Most people who go could have been treated faster somewhere else, and the ones who could not are waiting behind them.
What it is for for When to Go to A&E?
Chest pain, breathing difficulty, heavy bleeding, loss of consciousness, severe injury.
Order of treatment for When to Go to A&E?
By clinical need, not by arrival time.
What is the single most useful thing to do?
Call 999 rather than travelling yourself if someone may be having a heart attack or stroke.
What is the most common mistake?
Going for repeat prescriptions, sick notes or long-standing problems.
When should I see a doctor?
Call 999 immediately for chest pain or tightness, sudden weakness or drooping on one side, difficulty speaking, severe breathlessness, heavy bleeding that will not stop, or someone who is unresponsive. Do not wait to see whether it passes.
Where to go next
- Answers to the Common Questions on When to Go to A&E
- When to Go to A&E in Five Minutes
- When to Go to A&E — the reference entry
- Using NHS 111: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
- Having an MRI Scan: What Published Guidance Supports
When to get help
Call 999 immediately for chest pain or tightness, sudden weakness or drooping on one side, difficulty speaking, severe breathlessness, heavy bleeding that will not stop, or someone who is unresponsive. Do not wait to see whether it passes.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.
