111 Reviews 

111 provides a very poor service to the sick. The service is manned by admin staff with low level education and no medical knowledge. Having had a very serious experience and could have died, I am now wondering whether this service was delberately set up to assist in reduction of the population who are sick. The money spent on this service is wasted, this is money which is much needed by the NHS that deliver actual medical care to patients. After my experience I would like for the 111 service to be disbanded and the much needed funds are redirected back to direct patient care provided by fully qualified clinical professionals.

I rang 111 for help & support to make sure how I was feeling is recorded & logged so that when I speak to my GP. They can see I've tried to get help. I can honestly say that the NHS 111 service is sickening & abusive. They do not respect patient confidentiality or consent, they pretty much do whatever they want without discussing it with you first. If you don't cooperate they turn on you. I actually felt very frightened speaking with a clinician because of there threatening behaviour, I had to put the phone down. They then started bombarding me with calls harassing me which I threatened to report to the police. You literally would be better dialing 999 or waiting to speak with your GP. Do not waste your time with these vile disgusting people.

The 111 urgent dental line in wales is appalling and I have given up on trying to fix my abscessed tooth because they will only call me once and tell me to go back through 111, I am frustrated with how impatient they are and they have no respect

Thankyou the operators in 111 for your help today, you went the extra mile to help me to help him... it was much appreciated.... you leave our local surgery standing when it comes to courtesy, respect and understanding.

First time I called spoke to a young guy I’m assuming for triage in for a controlled repeat prescription, however my mental health was a dangerous levels, and the type of interactions you get make all the difference. The young man was very dismissive made me feel unimportant telling me there is other people on the line, had I continued with him, I would have been in danger caused by the people supposed to help you.
No wonder people don’t use 111 unless an emergency (1 star)
I called back a nice calm lady picked up, and we managed to speak with no issues she said a gp would call me and he did very quickly. Care and empathy go a long way when dealing with distressed patients (4stars)
Personally even I was in MH crisis or in harm I don’t think I would call this place for help, based on my first interaction would have pushed me to the age.
One other time I had same problem with prescription no issues emergency supplied same day.

The call handler repeatedly stated she had no medical experience. She then stated that she would refer me to a GP and they would contact me within 2 hours. I was contacted, after reminding them of my original call. The person was not a GP, but an advanced practitioner. She did prescribe the required medication, which I was then able to access.

The first experience was poor, the second and concluding was much better.
This service is not NHS, it is owned and operated by a US call centre company. Why is this service. outsourced to the US?

I had contact with the 111 call centre and associated nurse team today. The service was quick, respectful, efficient and effective. I was very impressed. Communication was good and prompt. Ash the nurse practitioner who came to see me was outstanding. Never used this service before for myself and it exceeded my expectations

Still waiting for my call back within 12 hours…….. 5 days ago! Luckily all was ok

My wife injured her knee and wrist, during a fall 10 days before. However, the knee issue, did not show itself until 3 days later. After 10 days of severe knee pain, we contacted her doctor for an appointment, which would be another 7 days later. We contacted 111. The call was waiting for 8 minutes. After much questioning of symptoms etc, my wife was told that she could not attend A&E and to speak to her doctor. My wife had already told her that she could not get an appointment. She then attended our Chemist, who saw unusual swelling and advised her to attend A&E anyway. She did attend and was x-rayed, to find that she probably has damaged her meniscus.
Her experience of 111 was very disappointing and a waste of time.

The doctor who called me a Doctor Williams was very abrupt and almost "bullying" she said answas asking me questions that were irrelevant to my problem and when I tried to explain she cut me short. I am 76 years old and I needed more reassurance from her as I was feeling very ill but she referred me to the GP for the next morning

I was stung on my tongue when a bee flew into my mouth while I was cycling. Fortunately I had nearly finished my ride. It was very painful but not swollen. I rang 111 and it was worse than useless: the automated system didn’t understand my brief explanation. I then went onto the website, which said I MUST get it checked, and told me go to an urgent treatment centre over 15 miles away, even though I have a large university hospital A and E less than 5 miles away. I booked into the UTC via the app, but felt badly in need of food after a long ride. I didn’t feel up to the drive by this point, (and I had no-one to drive me) and had managed to remove the sting, I was also worried what might happen if I suddenly became anaphylactic while driving myself. Since there was still no swelling, I decided to cancel the visit to the UTC, only to be told that I could not and should not, and must attend! So now I feel bad about not being able to explain my no-show, but what alternative was there? (Incidentally, the advice to remove a sting flat with the surface by sweeping sideways with a flat object doesn’t work with a soft, bumpy tongue, since it’s impossible to know whether you’re pushing it further in. I got it out with very fine tweezers.)

The best service ever received. I was in in pain for a week with a toothache, contacted my dentist for emergency appointment and could not get one. my friend told me of NHS111 and used it and within 3 minutes, the nurse called me back and sent me to a Dentist and the dentist was wonderful. I am so happy to use the service

Very disappointing experience with accessing essential post-operative dressing care

I was recently discharged from hospital following surgery, and my surgeon specifically advised me that I needed to have my dressing changed every day. I was told to contact my GP practice for this.

Unfortunately, what followed was extremely frustrating and concerning.

When I first contacted my GP practice, I was told there were no appointments available for dressing changes. I was then directed to call NHS 111. I explained the situation to 111, including that I had recently had surgery and required daily dressing. They referred me back to my registered GP practice and sent a referral, advising me to contact the practice immediately as they should be able to see me within an hour.

When I called the GP practice again, the person who answered told me that 111 should not be directing patients back to the GP practice when they had already confirmed that there were no appointments available for dressing changes. This resulted in me being sent back and forth between the GP practice and 111, while my dressing was missed.

On Saturday, I was fortunately able to secure an appointment at an Urgent Treatment Centre and had my dressing changed.

However, on Sunday, I again contacted NHS 111 and explained the whole situation. I was eventually left without an appointment because there were no suitable appointments available at the Urgent Treatment Centre, meaning another day of dressing was missed.

I could not simply attend A&E because I was experiencing significant pain following surgery around the anal area. I was unable to walk or sit properly and could only lie down, making the situation even more difficult.

On Monday morning, I contacted my GP practice again as soon as they opened to try to arrange a dressing appointment. Once again, I was told there were no appointments available. I then contacted NHS 111 again and had to explain the same situation from the beginning. I was told someone would call me back, but I received no useful outcome.

I called again to chase this up and had to explain everything once more. The person I spoke to appeared to be struggling to find the relevant information on the system. I explained that I had successfully attended the Urgent Treatment Centre on Saturday and that a clinician had personally contacted me to arrange that appointment. However, I was told that there was no record on the system showing that I had been booked into the UTC or that I had attended.

Once again, I was left without an appointment and another day passed without the dressing being changed.

This is not simply about my individual experience. It raises a wider concern about how patients who require regular post-operative dressing changes outside normal GP appointment availability are supposed to access essential care.

If a surgeon has specifically advised a patient to have a dressing changed every day, there needs to be a clear and reliable pathway for accessing that care, particularly at weekends and out of hours. Patients should not be repeatedly passed between their GP practice, NHS 111 and Urgent Treatment Centres without anyone taking responsibility for arranging the necessary care.

I appreciate that GP practices, NHS 111 and urgent treatment services are under significant pressure, and I am not blaming individual staff members. However, the system clearly did not work in my case.

I would strongly encourage the GP practice and NHS 111 service to review this process and consider whether dedicated out-of-hours appointments or a clear referral pathway should be available for patients requiring essential regular wound/dressing care following surgery.

Patients recovering from surgery should not have to spend several days repeatedly calling different services, explaining the same situation over and over again, while essential post-operative care is being missed.

I hope this feedback is taken seriously and that the service can be improved so that other patients do not find themselves in the same situation.

In late 2023 I started to feel symptoms which were like a cold starting. In less than a week I was experiencing severe pain on my face and head.

I called 111 and spoke to somebody reasonably rapidly. I said that I might be suffering from shingles. I asked what I should do and was told that I should self medicate with coedine and paracetamol. I asked if there was anything else I could do and I was told 'no.'

Five or six days later the pain had increased and I had to call an ambulance at 10pm at night. The paramedics refused to take me to hospital because they said I would probably have to wait in a corridor and that I might infect the cancer patients and make them a great deal worse.

After that it was necessary to call my GP to make a house call. She prescribed antibiotics so that I wouldn't lose my eye, antiviral drugs and I think something that was a painkiller. I spent five weeks in bed and something like two months housebound. I am still in the late summer of 2026 recovering from the resulting neuralgia and I cannot work.

When I complained to 111 by letter I was told that the person at 111 I had spoken to on the phone had said that there were limitations to the advice that they could give me and that I had agreeed to it. This simply did not happen.

My GP had told me that I should have been admitted to hospital and received IV anti-viral treatment. The response when I complained about the paramedics refusing to take me to hospital was that I had agreed that I should not have been taken to hospital. In reality I was given no choice and they refused to take me there.

I subsequently discovered that 90% of people in the UK have had chicken pox by the time that they are 11 years old. This means that they cannot catch shingles after that. The risk I represented to the hospital population was therefore very low.

My condition was described as 'very severe' by a GP later on. I think that had 111 told me that there was anti-viral treatment available I would have gone to A&E while I was still able to. Had the paramedics taken me to hospital even at a later stage I would have been able to get IV anti-viral treament.

It was outrageous to read my situation presented in a letter from 111 as an optimistic learning opportunity for the staff concerned. I replied saying that the condition was completely text-book, I was given the wrong advice and I was not helped. The loss of time made my condition much worse and caused more debilitation over a long period of time. The fact that the person at 111 I spoke to initially lied about the consultation and the fact that the paramedics mis-represented my situation when I was in a very vulnerable situation is very frightening.

Since my illness I have had various problems and I have been able to go to A&E and receive an excellent consultation, which was worth waiting for.

My advice to you is to not bother with 111 as my experience with them was nothing but dangerous.

I called 111 after my GP specifically instructed me to contact them because it was out of hours.

What followed was nothing short of a disgrace. I was subjected to an interrogation by triage and made to feel as though I was a criminal rather than a patient desperately seeking medical help. Once they had finished questioning me, I was told that an ambulance would be arriving shortly.

Over an hour later, while I was gasping for air and feeling severely disorientated, another person called to tell me that the ambulance was no longer coming and that I should somehow make my own way to hospital.

How exactly is someone struggling to breathe, confused and disorientated expected to make their own way anywhere?

This is not healthcare. It is a complete failure of basic organisation, communication and duty of care. The system appears to be in chaos, and the leadership responsible for allowing standards to deteriorate to this level should be held accountable. The entire operation needs urgent review, stronger leadership and systems that actually work before someone pays the ultimate price for these failures.

I have worked my entire life, paid my taxes and contributed to this country, only to be treated with such indifference when I needed help in my 50s. To be made to feel like a burden while struggling to breathe is absolutely appalling.

I am not simply disappointed — I am disgusted and genuinely appalled by the way I was treated. The people responsible should be ashamed. This standard of care is unacceptable, and if this is now considered normal, then the system is not merely struggling — it is fundamentally failing the very people it exists to protect.

Called last njght regarding arranging an emergency prescription for regular medication. Was advised to attend well pharmacy at crown medical centre in Nottingham. Attended thia morning to find it was closed. Called 111 back and had to go through all the questions again. Husband had called a local pharmacy who confirmed they had the medicarion I needed but 111 refused to send the referal to them, saying they weren't on their list, wantes us to drive around to other areas. Only wanted to send to the large corporate companies, not an independant that confirmed they could help.

NHS 111 is the worst part of our failing nhs system. Robotic humans often speaking in a way no one can understand ask questions off a script in a robotic and inhuman way, you wait 50 min for a call from someone who is allegedly a health care professional. They lie to you - tell you they are requesting an ambulance, only for an ambulance provider to call you 3 ha later to say nhs 111 has no authority to request an ambulance and you need to drive yourself - with a breathing problem! - or take a taxi (where there are no taxis in your village) or walk 30 miles to get to a&e as they can’t very well send an ambulance if you’re still breathing. It’s so nice to know they keep the ambulances for the dead people who aren’t b breathing anymore.

Every experience I have had with these people has been a negative one. Recently my son who had a nasty stomach bug and couldn't keep fluids down was directed to the pharmacy by 111.
Then my most recent experience, I was told to go to A&E when all I needed was pain relief.
I would bypass this lot and go to A&E/walk in or a pharmacy yourself, especially when most of the staff members seem to lack any empathy/interest towards unwell people.

Could I give it zero? Phoned for my brother who had a blood clot still waiting for a call back , 16 hours later !!!! Useless service, how do they sleep at night ?

Curious about people’s expectations rating it one star. Perhaps where you live makes a difference.

It’s certainly not perfect but for something universally free at the point of need, I think it’s a bloody brilliant thing. Imagine just being able to call up if you have a concern at any time of the day and have a clinician call you back completely FoC. I’ve used it loads as a mum and for myself. I love the fact that there is now a mental health line too. I really do think we are very lucky to live in the UK and I don’t understand why all we do is moan about how rubbish it is.