Mobile services FAQ

'NHSGO' - 64746

Send a text from your mobile to find local information on:

A&E services
Alcohol services
Dentists
GPs
Opticians
Pharmacists
Sexual health services
Stop-smoking services
Walk-in centres

You can also:

Work out your BMI
Count the cost of smoking
Check your alcohol intake

Why use a mobile phone when I can access the information from the internet on my computer?

There are often times when you might not have access to fixed-line internet for example, when you are travelling or visiting an unfamiliar area. The NHS Choices mobile service gives access to information about key NHS services quickly and efficiently without the need for access to a computer.

What is the number?

The number is 64746 or “NHSGO”. It’s a good idea to save this to your phone memory.

Is this service available outside of England?

No. NHS Choices covers only England and does not cover other parts of the British Isles or Europe.

My mobile doesn’t have internet capabilities – will it still work?

Yes. The service is delivered using SMS text messages.

How much does it cost?

The SMS text service is free to use for both outbound and inbound messages.

When you open the WAP page you will be charged for browsing at your standard network rate which will also depend on your tariff. Your operator should be able to give you further details.

The service isn’t working – what do I do?

Contact our helpdesk

The information I received was incorrect – how can I inform NHS Choices?

Contact our helpdesk

How do I know what keywords to use?

The keywords for each of the directories are:

for A&E departments, text "accident"
for alcohol services, text "alcohol"
for dentists, text "dentist"
for GPs, text "doctor"
for opticians, text "optician"
for pharmacists, text "pharmacy"
for sexual health services, text "sexualhealth"
for stop-smoking services, text "quit"
for walk-in centres, text "walk"

If you have an internet-enabled phone you can also use three of our interactive tools:

To calculate your body mass index, text "BMI"
To find out how much smoking costs you, text "Calculator"
To check whether you are drinking within sensible limits, text "Drinkquiz"

What happens if I misspell a keyword?

In many cases the system will still recognise a misspelling or related term. However, in cases where the system has not recognised a keyword you will be sent a text message informing you of this and asking you to re-try. You will not be charged for this message.

NHS Choices mobile