Should you need urgent health advice please contact your GP or call NHS 111. In an emergency please visit A&E or call 999

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When to call 999 for your child

For life threatening emergencies, calling 999 can get the help that you need.

This infographic gives examples of some of the life threatening emergencies that would lead you to calling 999 and the process you will follow to get help.

For more examples of when you might need to call 999, take a look at this guide on the NHS website.

As your child gets older, you might like to talk this through with them so they know what 999 is for.

Infographic showing some of the reasons to call 999

 

Calling 111

You can call 111 when you need medical help fast, but it’s not an emergency.

When you call 111, a trained advisor will ask you questions to help find out what is wrong, before giving you advice and signposting you to someone who can help, like an out of hours doctor or NHS walk-in centre.

If the person you are speaking to thinks your child’s condition is more serious, they will tell you to go to hospital or send an ambulance.

You can call 111 at any time of the day, and the call is free from landlines and mobiles.

Useful links

Leicester’s Hospitals – A parents guide to self care at home for children aged 0-9

ChatHealth Logo

Devon County Council runs a confidential secure text messaging service for parents of children aged 0-19 years called ChatHealth. The service operates Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, excluding bank holidays. All texts will be responded to by a public health nurse (health visitor/school nurse) within 24 hours. Outside of the service working hours, you’ll receive a message back to inform you that your text will be responded to once the line reopens. You can also call our Public Health Nursing hubs on the numbers listed below.

If you are concerned about the safety of a child in Devon, contact our Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0345 155 1071 or email mashsecure@devon.gov.uk with as much information as possible.

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Page last reviewed: 01-07-2024

Next review due: 01-07-2027