Question: How Do I Get Help in an Emergency
What if I need a doctor or have to call the fire department in the UK. Where do I turn in an emergency?
Answer: The telephone number for all the main emergency services in the UK - Police, Fire and Ambulance - is 999.
Medical emergencies
If you have a medical emergency that does not require ambulance services or paramedics, just walk into:- Any GP's office (they are known as GP's surgeries in the UK)
- A Walk-in Emergency Medical Centre
- A hospital emergency room. Hospital emergency rooms are called Accident and Emergency Units or A&E. People may also refer to that part of a hospital as a Casualty Unit or department.
Emergency medical treatment delivered in one of these units is free regardless of your nationality or country of residence. But if you are admitted or asked to come back for a clinic visit, you will have to pay full charges Find out more about access rules for free NHS treatment.
Insider Tip
Some hotels use private emergency doctors for guests who become ill while visiting the UK. This kind of doctor's visit can be costly and your insurance may not fully cover the expense. Instead, try to get to a nearby A&E unit where initial emergency treatment is free.
