Phone First Service

Phone First is a triage service which is available Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm, for anyone who is feeling unwell and who is considering attending Antrim Area or Causeway Hospital Emergency Departments (EDs) or the Mid Ulster Hospital Minor Injuries Unit, and whose injury/illness is not immediately life-threatening.

When you contact Phone First 0300 123 1 123 your condition, or that of the person you are calling on behalf of, will be clinically assessed. You will then be directed to the most appropriate care pathway for your needs. This may mean attending a hospital ED or Minor Injuries Unit, redirecting you to your local GP, GP Out-of-Hours or pharmacy, or providing you with advice on self-care for management of your symptoms at home.

The benefits of people using this service are two-fold: they avoid unnecessary travel and waits at the Emergency Department, and they receive a timely, clinical assessment, which will direct them to the correct service.

This triage system aims to ease the pressures on our Emergency Departments where there are often lengthy waiting times to be seen. While the Health Service continues to experience sustained pressures on their services all year round, the winter period traditionally brings increased demand on their acute services, particularly around unscheduled, emergency care