ALMOST half of people in Gwent have never used the NHS 111 Wales phoneline - and almost one in three consider A&E the first port of call for non-emergency conditions.

In a YouGov survey carried out as part of the Welsh Government’s Help Us, Help You campaign, 45 per cent of people surveyed in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area have never called NHS 111 Wales.

The survey found that 41 per cent have also never used the corresponding website and online symptom checker.

The survey also found that while 64 per cent of people felt confident using NHS 111 Wales to get urgent healthcare, 30 per cent say they would still make their nearest emergency department their first port of call for non-life-threatening conditions.

This is despite an ongoing campaign highlighting how NHS 111 Wales can help access appropriate treatment for urgent ailments without the need for accident and emergency if it is not the necessary route of action.

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Welsh Ambulance Service hosts the service. Claire Roche, executive director of quality and nursing at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “The NHS 111 Wales website should be your first port of call when you’re ill or injured and are unsure what to do. There are more than 30 symptom checkers on the website, from back pain and breathing difficulties, diarrhoea and dental pain, to falls and flatulence.

“You’ll answer a series of questions which determine what to do next, whether that’s to self-care for your symptoms at home, visit a pharmacist, consult a GP, call 111 for a telephone assessment or in extreme cases, call 999. If we can help patients with a less serious illness or injury online, or via the 111 telephone service, then we’re preventing calls to 999 which may not always be appropriate.”

There is also the telephone option which is available if people prefer to speak to a human, can’t find the information they need, the online checker says to seek further advice or they are concerned about themselves or someone they care for.

The service on the phone will give self-care advice, find out what local health service can help or how to get medicine, speak to a healthcare professional through a return call, or even advise to contact 999 in emergencies.

Pharmacists are also able to help with minor health concerns and provide over-the-counter and prescription medicines free of charge for a range of common ailments without the need to see a doctor. Pharmacies help 350,000 people in Wales every day.

But remember, people who are suffering life-threatening emergencies or injuries which include choking, cardiac arrest, stroke and severe blood loss should be dealt with by calling 999 or visiting the Grange Hospital’s emergency department.