The Healthcare Professional (HCP) Line
The HCP line can be used by HCPs to request an emergency ambulance for a patient. This line can only be used by HCPs as during the call you must be able to answer triage questions about the patient's condition, and negotiate a safe and appropriate outcome.
If this is not possible, call 999 instead.
You can call the HCP Line on a patients behalf if you:
- Are a healthcare professional
- Have clinically assessed a patient in person or remotely, and believe that they require admission to hospital
☎️ 020 3162 7525
⭐ Don't display the number where it may be visible to patients
The call
- During the call, you'll be asked to confirm the patient's location and contact details twice, to make sure that the ambulance is sent to the correct location
- Be prepared to explain any specific clinical or other concerns you have for the patient
- For an idea of some other information that the ambulance team might need, see the London Ambulance Service Booking Checklist ➡️
Triage categories
Depending on the nature of the emergency, the London Ambulance Service will place your call into one of four categories. Each category has a different response time:
Category 📝 | Type of Call ☎️ | Response time ⏱️ | Additional Actions ➕ |
Category 1
(Life-threatening event) | For a life-threatening condition, including:
- cardiac arrests/peri-arrests
- choking
- unconsciousness
- not alert a fall or trauma
- allergic reaction with breathing problems | 7 minutes average
(15 minutes max.) | Stay with the patient until the ambulance arrives |
Category 2
(Emergency - potentially serious incident) | For a serious condition, including:
- stroke patients
- fainting - not alert
- chest pain
- major burns
- sepsis | 18 minutes average
(40 minutes max.) | As above |
Category 3
(Urgent problem) | For an urgent condition, including:
- falls
- fainting - now alert
- diabetic problems
- isolated limb fractures
- abdominal pain | 120 minutes max. | Where the patient is stable and if it is safe for them to do so, you'll be advised to consider if they are able to make their own way to A&E. |
Category 4
(Less urgent problem) | For a medical problem that is not urgent, including:
- diarrhoea
- vomiting
- non-traumatic back pain
- HCP admission | 180 minutes max. | As above |
Please note that if the ambulance service places your patient into a category that you don't agree with, you can challenge this and it will go to a clinical superior.
Borderline patients
If you are unsure about which category a patient fits into, you can calculate their National Early Warning Score (NEWS) using the table below. Generally, patients with a NEWS of 5 or more fall into category 1 or 2.
