{"id":7374,"date":"2026-09-15T14:29:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T14:29:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visiting-angels.co.uk\/cheshire-east\/?p=7374"},"modified":"2026-09-15T14:33:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T14:33:54","slug":"who-to-call-when-an-elderly-person-falls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visiting-angels.co.uk\/cheshire-east\/who-to-call-when-an-elderly-person-falls\/","title":{"rendered":"Who to call when an elderly person falls: 999 or 111?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Who do I call when an elderly person falls?<\/b><\/h1>

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Quick summary<\/b><\/h3>

999<\/b> if they are hurt, cannot get up, hit their head, or seem confused. <\/span>111<\/b> if they are shaken but uninjured and you want advice. <\/span>Their GP<\/b> within a few days if there was no injury at all, because a fall still needs looking into. If you cannot decide, ring 999 and let them triage it.<\/span><\/p>

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Do I ring 999 or 111?<\/b><\/h3>

The line is mostly about three things: the head, the hips, and whether they can get themselves up.<\/span><\/p>

The NHS says to call 999 if someone has fallen and may have injured their head, back, neck or hip, or if they cannot get up. Everything else short of that is a 111 call (<\/span>NHS, Falls<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>

You are not expected to diagnose anything. You are deciding which service to hand the decision to.<\/span><\/p>

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Call<\/strong><\/p><\/th>

When<\/strong><\/p><\/th>

What happens<\/strong><\/p><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>

999<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Cannot get up. Possible head, neck, back or hip injury. Knocked out, or cannot stay awake. A seizure. New weakness, numbness or slurred speech. Problems with vision or balance. Clear fluid or blood from an ear. Bleeding that will not stop. They seem confused when they normally are not.<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Ambulance dispatched, triaged by urgency. Assessment at the scene, and A and E if needed<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

111<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Shaken, sore or unwell, but none of the above. Also ring 111 if they were sick, felt dizzy or faint before the fall, or take a medicine that thins the blood<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Questions, then a clinician call back, an urgent appointment, or an ambulance if the answers warrant it<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

GP<\/b><\/p><\/td>

No injury and no symptoms, but they fell. Or they have fallen before<\/span><\/p><\/td>

A falls assessment, a medication review, referral to the local falls service<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

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What counts as a head injury?<\/b><\/h3>

More than people think. A bump on a carpeted floor still counts if any of the warning signs follow.<\/span><\/p>

The NHS lists these as 999 calls after a blow to the head: being knocked out and not waking up, difficulty staying awake, a fit or seizure, a fall from more than a metre or down five or more stairs, new problems with vision, walking, balance, speaking or understanding, weakness or numbness in part of the body, clear fluid or blood coming from the ears or nose, and a black eye with no direct blow to the eye. Changed behaviour counts too (<\/span>NHS, Head injury and concussion<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>

Blood thinners change everything about this call.<\/b> Warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, edoxaban and similar medicines mean a bleed inside the skull can develop from a knock that would be nothing in anyone else. The NHS names them specifically as a reason to get advice after a head injury. Say the drug name in the first sentence of the call.<\/span><\/p>

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What will they ask me?<\/b><\/h3>

It helps to have the answers ready, because the questions come fast and you might be flustered.<\/span><\/p>