North Yorkshire residents urged to use NHS 111 for urgent medical help this Easter
63% of people wouldn't know which NHS service to use if they needed urgent, non-life threatening medical help
There's a reminder to people in North Yorkshire to think carefully before calling for an ambulance.
It's after data shows the Emergency Operations Centre across York and Wakefield are averaging more than 3,200 calls per day.
Meanwhile new data from the NHS reveals that almost two thirds (63%) of people wouldn't know which service to turn to if they needed urgent, non-life threatening medical help.
NHS Clinical Advisor, Victoria Raven explains the differences between 111 and 999:
"999 is there for your life threatening conditions, whereas 111 is there for anything else. Anything that you feel needs urgent medical discussion, if it's something health related that's worrying you, or it's stopping you from doing your daily activity."
Out of hours is when 111 calls naturally sees more activity, especially during bank holidays and school breaks.
The figures also suggest that around two-fifths of A&E visits could be avoidable or better treated elsewhere.
If you're not sure that the medical help you're seeking is urgent, Victoria Raven says it's best to call 111 so that they can help signpost you in the right direction:
"Even if we do feel it warrants A&E and ambulance services, what we can do to ease A&E pressures is refer ahead of you- to almost give a heads up that you are on your way."
There's also confusion around accessing care during weekends and bank holidays. Nearly a third of people wrongly believed they might not be able to get help during these times- but the NHS 111 service is available 24/7.
Whether it's via the phone, the NHS App, or 111, NHS 111 is designed to direct people to the most appropriate care, helping to avoid unnecessary A&E visits or 999 calls.