Reading List

A curated reading list to support safe first-contact escalation for chest pain, breathing problems, collapse and other urgent presentations in general practice reception and care-navigation roles.

The sources below are grouped by urgent-care routing, care navigation, and symptom-specific public guidance. Always follow local protocols alongside national guidance.

1. Core Urgent Care and General Practice Sources

• NHS - When to call 999
  Core public guidance on life-threatening emergencies and when an ambulance is needed. Useful for recognising symptoms that require immediate emergency action.
  https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-call-999/

• NHS England - How to improve care navigation in general practice
  Guidance on care-navigation processes, red flags and the boundary between navigation and clinical decision-making.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/how-to-improve-care-navigation-in-general-practice-2/

• NHS England - You and Your General Practice
  Patient-facing information about general practice access and why staff ask for details to direct care appropriately.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/you-and-your-general-practice-english/

• NHS 24 Scotland - When to phone 111
  Scotland-specific guidance on NHS 24, urgent care and when 999 is more appropriate. Useful where reception staff signpost to Scottish urgent-care routes.
  https://www.nhs24.scot/111/

• NHS 111 Wales - Health advice and information
  Wales urgent-care and health-advice route for non-emergency urgent concerns.
  https://111.wales.nhs.uk/

• HSCNI - Phone First FAQs
  Northern Ireland information on Phone First and urgent-care pathways. Helpful for sites using Phone First routing.
  https://online.hscni.net/our-work/no-more-silos/phone-first-faqs/

2. Symptom-Specific Public Guidance

• NHS - Chest pain
  Public guidance on chest pain, including when to call 999 or seek urgent advice. Helps explain why certain wording should trigger immediate action rather than routine handling.
  https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/chest-pain/

• NHS - Heart attack
  Public guidance on heart attack symptoms and emergency response. Relevant for chest pain accompanied by sweating, nausea, breathlessness or spreading pain.
  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-attack/

• NHS - Shortness of breath
  Public guidance on breathlessness and when to call 999 or 111. Useful for recognising when sudden or severe breathing difficulty needs urgent escalation.
  https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/shortness-of-breath/

• NHS - Symptoms of a stroke: Act FAST
  Public guidance on FAST stroke signs and calling 999. An example of urgent wording that should interrupt routine reception handling.
  https://www.nhs.uk/actFAST

Use these sources to inform local protocols, staff training, escalation scripts and reflection on first-contact safety in general practice.