Knowing when a symptom is an emergency, and when it can wait until Monday, is one of the most useful things a patient – or a family member – can carry with them.
Call 999 immediately for: chest pain or pressure lasting more than a few minutes, especially with breathlessness, sweating, nausea, or pain spreading to the arm, jaw, or back; sudden collapse or loss of consciousness; a very fast or irregular heartbeat accompanied by chest pain, severe breathlessness, or feeling close to fainting; and any chest pain in someone with known heart disease that feels different or more severe than usual. If in doubt in the moment, call. Ambulance crews and A&E departments would always rather see you and find nothing serious than not see you at all.
Contact your GP or book an urgent review for: palpitations without chest pain, breathlessness, or fainting; mild, brief chest discomfort that’s clearly related to movement, posture, or touch; ongoing tiredness or reduced exercise tolerance developing over weeks rather than suddenly; and ankle swelling that’s new or worsening.
These can usually wait until the next working day, but shouldn’t be ignored indefinitely – book the appointment rather than watching and waiting.
For families specifically: if you’re with someone who becomes unwell suddenly and you’re unsure whether it’s serious, treat uncertainty as a reason to call 999 rather than a reason to wait. You’re not expected to make a confident diagnosis in the moment – that’s the job of the people who answer that call.
This guide is a general framework, not a substitute for professional judgement in your own situation.