Urgent Medical Care
Phone First
Children’ Emergency Department
Location of service
Urgent Medical Care
If you require urgent medical attention, please call 999.
Phone First
If you are have a minor injury, you should Phone First for triage. Please call 028 9615 9444 to be assessed by phone before being advised of the appropriate next steps.
If your injury is life threatening please call 999.
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Why do I need to Phone First?
The public will be aware that Emergency Departments across Northern Ireland have experienced significant and unrelenting demand over the last 3 years, since the Covid-19 pandemic. This has resulted in patients with minor injuries waiting for very long periods within our Emergency Departments from treatment/assessment.
Phone First is a service designed to provide you with the right care, first time.
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Is Phone First operational 24/7?
No, Phone First operates between Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm. Outside of these times, you can contact the GPOOH service for advice if it is urgent and you cannot wait until your GP opens the next day.
The emergency 999 service remains available 24.7 for patients experiencing life-threatening injury.
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What happens if I ring 999?
There will be no change to the response that is given by dialling 999 if your condition is life threatening.
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Do I always need to Phone First?
No, patients experiencing life or limb threatening injury or concern should call 999 and seek urgent medical attention.
If you are have a minor injury, you should Phone First for triage.
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What happens when I call Phone First?
A call handler will answer your call and take the relevant details. In the vast majority of cases, patients will be advised to await a call back from a medical professional. Depending on the reason for your call, this medical professional will provide guidance as to next steps.
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Do I Phone First if taking my child to the Emergency Department?
Children under the age of 16 are treated within our paediatric service, which currently does not operate Phone First.
If your child needs urgent medical care call 999.
If your child is experiencing non-life-threatening issue please attend your nearest Emergency Department, or consult our Symptom Checker.
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What if I cannot get through on the phone or have been ringing and holding for a long time, how long will it take for my call to be answered?
The Phone First service aims to answer 95% of calls within the first minute.
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Will the person answering my call tell me which hospital/location to go to?
The medical professional triaging you will advise you on the most appropriate urgent care service based on your needs or the needs of the person on whose behalf you have called.
This may mean attending a hospital emergency department, minor injuries unit or redirecting you to your local GP, GP out-of-hours or pharmacy. For some service users, advice may be provided on self-care management at home.
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What is the difference between GP out-of-hours and this service?
The Phone First service is available Monday to Friday between the hours of 8am and 6pm (excluding bank holidays) for people with conditions that may cause them to consider travelling to the Royal Victoria or Mater Hospital Minor Injuries Unit. Phone First provides a clinical triaging advice line for these patients, directing them to the most suitable care based on their need.
In contrast, the GP out of hours service is for people who need urgent medical treatment but who cannot wait until their doctor’s practice opens. The service is for terminally ill people, very sick children and frail elderly people. Dental out of hour’s service only treats people with dental pain, swelling or bleeding.
GP out of hours services are:
- 00 pm on week days until your GP surgery opens the next morning
- 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday
- 24 hours on public holidays
Patients in need of urgent care for a life threatening injury should call 999 immediately.
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How will my information be used?
Initial phone calls will be handled by Dalriada Urgent Care Centre (DUC), on behalf of the Belfast Trust.
Telephone calls will be recorded for monitoring and training purposes only.
Personal information collected by DUC is shared with the Trust within the HSC secured network. No information will be shared with any other third party, and is only collected to support clinical decision making.
Phone First currently operates 8am-6pm Monday to Friday. Outside of these times please contact GP Out of Hours Service
Children’s Emergency Department
Children under the age of 16 are treated within our paediatric service, which currently does not operate Phone First.
If your child needs urgent medical care call 999.
If your child is experiencing non-life-threatening issue please attend your nearest Emergency Department, or consult our Symptom Checker.
Location of service
Our Emergency Departments are located at:
- Royal Victoria Hospital
- Mater Hospital
- Children’s Hospital