Who do I call?

1. Is this a medical emergency?

Chest pain, difficulty breathing, a fall with a head injury, signs of stroke, heavy bleeding, or any situation where a delay could be dangerous.

Call 999 or 112. Both work from any phone in Ireland, free of charge, and connect to ambulance, fire, or Garda services. There's no advantage to choosing one over the other — use whichever you remember. If the person having the emergency can't speak or hear, an SMS/text emergency service is also available — search "112 SMS registration Ireland" for how to register in advance.

2. It's urgent, but not an emergency — and their GP surgery is closed

A fever, a worsening infection, a minor injury, or something that can't wait until the surgery reopens but isn't life-threatening.

Contact the GP out-of-hours service. In Ireland this runs as a network of regional services (names like Caredoc, SouthDoc, WestDoc, or Dubdoc depending on the area) that cover evenings, nights, weekends, and public holidays. You don't look this number up cold: phone the person's own GP surgery number, even when it's closed — the answering machine message gives the local out-of-hours number and how to reach it. It works by phone triage first, not walk-in, so call before travelling anywhere.

Don't know the surgery's number, or they're not registered with a GP nearby? Search "GP out of hours" plus their county on hse.ie to find the local service.

3. You need to arrange home care, respite, or an assessment

You're trying to get carers into the home, apply for a home support package, or ask about an occupational therapy or needs assessment.

Contact the local HSE Home Support Office for the area the person lives in — search "HSE Home Support Office" plus their county to find the right one and its number, since contact details are organised by county rather than one national line.

If you're not sure that's the right door, or don't know where to start:call HSE Live on 1800 700 700 (Monday–Friday 8am–8pm, Saturday 9am–5pm — closed Sundays and bank holidays). It's the HSE's general enquiry line and will point you to the right local service. Seehse.ie/services/hse-live.

4. You need entitlements or benefits information

Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, medical cards, or anything to do with what you or the person you're caring for might be entitled to.

Call Citizens Information on 0818 07 4000 (Monday–Friday, 9am–8pm). This is the Republic of Ireland service — don't confuse it or the schemes it covers with UK or Northern Ireland equivalents, which are separate and not applicable here. See citizensinformation.ie.

5. You need support as a carer — not a medical or entitlements question

You're overwhelmed, need someone to talk to, or want to know what supports exist for you as a carer, not just the person you're caring for.

Call Family Carers Ireland's National Freephone Careline on 1800 24 07 24(Monday–Thursday 9am–5.30pm, Friday 9am–5pm). Calls are free from Irish landlines and mobiles. See familycarers.ie.

Still not sure?

Two good defaults: for anything urgent and medical, GP out-of-hours or 999/112. For anything that isn't urgent — services, entitlements, "who do I even ask" —HSE Live on 1800 700 700 is the safest general starting point.

For a wider map of services beyond these core numbers, seeWhere to get help. To have the key numbers ready before you need them, print the emergency contacts card.