Non-life-threatening 995 calls to be transferred to new triage helpline from Jun. 1, 2025, in 6-month trial

Singapore will be piloting a trial from Jun. 1, 2025, to refer 995 calls that are deemed non-life-threatening to a medical triage helpline.

To be implemented nation-wide for six months, the trial will be led by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and Woodlands Health (WH), with support from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Health (MOH).

In a joint statement by the two ministries, they said that the move aims to help the SCDF prioritise timely medical response to people facing life-threatening emergencies. Public hospital emergency departments can also better focus their resources on patients who require urgent medical care.

There has been a significant increase in emergency medical services (EMS) calls over the years.

In 2024, the SCDF responded to 245,279 EMS calls, or an average of 672 calls per day, 57 per cent higher than 2014.

Assessing a 995 call

According to the statement, examples of non-life-threatening conditions include cold and flu, strains and sprains, and cuts or open wounds with no active bleeding — if the symptoms are mild to moderate.

Animal bites without allergic symptoms and without active bleeding, and minor burns affecting less than 15 per cent of the body surface area, would also be assessed as not critical.

The SCDF call-taker would then transfer such cases along with the key patient details to the triage helpline known as NurseFirst.

The NurseFirst helpline

The medical triage helpline, known as NurseFirst, has been operating since February 2022 when it was first rolled out in northern Singapore.

Trained nurses, with medical supervision from emergency medicine physicians, will manage the helpline to advise callers on the appropriate healthcare options based on their symptoms.

They could share self-care steps, direct callers to nearby care providers such as a general practitioner, or advise them to call for a non-emergency ambulance.

If the caller's condition worsens during the call with the nurse, the SCDF will be immediately notified to send an ambulance.

The NurseFirst helpline will operate from 8am to 11pm daily, including public holidays. Outside of these hours, the SCDF will act on its current protocols for 995 calls even if it is deemed non-life-threatening.

MHA and MOH encourage the public to call the NurseFirst helpline directly at 62626262 if their condition is not life-threatening. The helpline provides medical advice at no cost.

Top image from SCDF's Facebook