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During your call

1. Introduction to the 111 serv...	4. During your call
2. When to phone 111	5. After your call
3. Who you will speak to

The first person you'll speak to will be a call handler. They'll ask you:

• who you are
• where you're calling from
• why you're calling

This is because we need to know as much about you and your health as possible so we can offer you the best help and advice. The more we know the more easily we can help you, especially if we need to refer you to another NHS service.

Any information you provide, will be treated in accordance with our data protection policy.

They may then transfer your call to a suitable healthcare professional such as a nurse, pharmacist or dental nurse, who'll:

• talk to you about your symptoms
• tell you what care they think you need

They might suggest that:

• you treat yourself at home
• you see a doctor or another health professional

In times of high demand you may be put on a clinical queue, managed by a senior clinician, to be called back by relevant advisor depending on the type of help you need.

In some cases, they might call an ambulance for you.

Calls and your confidentiality

All calls to us are confidential and we follow the same confidentiality guidelines as the rest of the NHS.

All calls to us are recorded for patient safety.

When you call us, unless you state to the contrary, we'll assume that you're happy for us to pass on any information to a relevant part of the NHS. Your doctor will know that you've contacted NHS 24 unless you tell the call handler that you refuse consent to share this information with your GP.

Emergency Care Summary

When you call us the call handler will assume that you have agreed to allow the nurse to look at your Emergency Care Summary (ECS).

• Your ECS will tell the nurse:
• your date of birth (including the year you were born)
• the name of the doctor’s practice that you're registered with
• a reference number that identifies you - known as a CHI number
• any bad reactions that you’ve had to medicines (that your doctor knows about)
• any prescribed medicines

Your ECS is copied from your doctor’s computer system and stored electronically.

You can find out more about more about your Emergency Care Summary on the NHS inform website.

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