What People Get Wrong About Using the NHS

Using the right service gets you seen faster and keeps emergency capacity for emergencies.

Key takeaways

• 999 and A&E: life-threatening emergencies
• NHS 111: urgent but not life-threatening, 24 hours
• Most useful single change: Use a pharmacy first for minor illness; no appointment needed.
• Commonest mistake: Attending A&E for problems a pharmacy or 111 can handle.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

What the guidance actually says

Before the corrections, the published figures. Everything below is measured against these.

Where people go wrong

Each of these is popular. None of it matches the guidance.

• Attending A&E for problems a pharmacy or 111 can handle
• Delaying 999 when symptoms are life-threatening
• Assuming you need to be registered to use sexual health or A&E services

What to do instead

• Use a pharmacy first for minor illness; no appointment needed
• Use NHS 111 when you are unsure
• Register with a GP practice before you need one
• Use online booking and early or late appointments

The part that is genuinely uncertain

Guidance changes, and it changes because evidence does. The figures above reflect current UK guidance from the bodies named at the foot of this page; where those bodies revise their position, theirs is the account to follow rather than this one.

Where to go next

• The Evidence on Using the NHS, Without the Hype
• What Using the NHS Is, and Why It Matters
• Using the NHS — the reference entry
• The Evidence on Health Literacy, Without the Hype
• The Evidence on Occupational Health, Without the Hype

When to speak to a doctor

Call 999 for chest pain or tightness lasting more than a few minutes, sudden weakness or numbness on one side, facial drooping, difficulty speaking, severe breathlessness, heavy bleeding, seizures that do not stop, unconsciousness, or a rash that does not fade under pressure. Use the FAST test for stroke.

Where this comes from

• NHS — When to use 111 and 999
• NHS — Pharmacy First service

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.