Emergencies in London

Good to Know

• Save 999 and 112 in your phone before you need them — both work identically in London and connect free of charge from any phone, even without a SIM card or credit.
• For anything that already happened and isn't an emergency (like a burglary discovered after the fact), use 101 instead of 999 to avoid tying up emergency lines.
• If you're deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech impairment, pre-register your phone for the emergencySMS service now by texting 'register' to 999 — it won't work if you wait until the emergency itself.
• NHS 111 is useful for non-life-threatening medical concerns and can advise whether you need A&E, saving unnecessary ambulance callouts.
• London has two separate police forces — the Metropolitan Police for most of Greater London and the City of London Police for the small financial district — but 999/101 route you correctly regardless of which area you're in.
• For any life-threatening emergency in London, call 999 (free) and ask for Ambulance; London Ambulance Service crews will automatically bypass the nearest hospital and take severely injured patients directly to one of the four Major Trauma Centres (St Mary's, Royal London, St George's, King's College) when appropriate.
• For urgent but non-life-threatening issues, call 111 (free, 24/7) or use 111 online before heading to A&E — many hospitals also run separate Urgent Treatment Centres for minor injuries/illnesses that have much shorter waits than the main A&E.
• As a visitor, all NHS emergency (A&E) treatment in England is free at the point of use regardless of nationality or insurance status, but you may later be billed for follow-up or inpatient treatment if you're not ordinarily resident in the UK — travel insurance or a valid EHIC/GHIC (for eligible visitors) is strongly advised.
• Central London A&E departments (especially St Thomas' and Royal London) can have long waits — several hours is common at busy times — so use them only for genuine emergencies.