Help us save more lives this winter. Every year, we face increasing demand for our service during the colder months. It’s important to us that when you need us the most, we are there for you.

It’s no secret that our 999 service is there to bring you emergency care when in a life-threatening situation, but our 111 online service is equally there to support you with your urgent medical needs. Last year, we launched our winter campaign Every Second Counts to support and inform our public on which service best suits your medical needs.

Our emergency call handlers can receive over 5,000 calls to our 999 service on a daily basis which can increase over the winter months. To make certain all these calls are being directed to the right service, we ask you the public to stop and think:

• Is this a life-threatening illness or injury? Think 999
• Is this an urgent injury or illness? Think 111 online
• Do you feel unwell or is an injury causing you pain? Think walk-in centre or GP
• Can you treat your symptoms at home? Think self-care, first-aid kit and well-stocked medicine cabinets

The options to support you when you are unwell or injured are there, and this helps emergency services, A&E departments and minor injury units to get you the right care, when you need it the most.

Calling 999 with minor injuries, general unwellness or queries around medication can block the service line and could prevent people in life-threatening emergencies getting through to our call-handlers.

So before you ring 999…think…is there a threat to life? If not…think 111 online.

That way we can answer and help those that need us most, faster.

Help us save more lives.