Emergency
Immediate risk to life, serious injury, fire or crime happening now.
Public services
Find the right service first time
Use the urgency guide, then choose health, council, waste, transport or library support.
Urgent health advice
Urgent medical help when it is not a life-threatening emergency.
Non-emergency police
Police matters that do not require an immediate emergency response.
Health
Choosing the health service
1
Self-care/pharmacy
Minor illnesses, medicines advice and many common conditions.
2
GP or dentist
Ongoing symptoms, reviews, referrals and routine treatment.
3
NHS 111
Urgent advice when unsure where to go or services are closed.
4
999/A&E
Life-threatening emergencies and severe injury.
Mental health
Get help at the right level
Immediate danger
Call 999 or go to A&E where someone is at immediate risk of serious harm.
Urgent crisis
Use NHS 111 and select the mental health option where available, or use the local NHS crisis route.
Ongoing support
Speak to a GP, school/college support team or local NHS talking therapies service.
Write down symptoms and impact
Note sleep, appetite, panic, low mood, thoughts of harm, medication and how daily life is affected. This helps the assessment.
Council services
Get a reference and keep the case moving
Use the correct borough
The responsible council is usually based on where the issue is located, not necessarily where the reporter lives.
Use the official reporting form
Choose the exact category: fly-tipping, missed collection, street cleaning, highways, noise, housing or benefits.
Upload useful evidence
Include exact location, landmark, date, risk, photographs and whether the issue is recurring.
Save the reference
Follow up after the published timescale. If service failure continues, use the council complaint process rather than repeatedly making identical reports.
Local problems
A strong report contains five things
Exact place
Road, building, postcode, nearby shop or lamp-column number.
What is wrong
Describe the defect, not just “dangerous” or “dirty”.
Risk
Explain who may be harmed and how urgent it is.
Evidence
Clear wide and close photographs, date and previous references.
Requested action
Inspection, removal, repair, clean, update or written decision.