If things go wrong: your emergency contacts map
Who to call for what — decided now, so the worst day doesn't require thinking.
- 1
Save the life-and-limb numbers
Two numbers cover genuine emergencies. 999 (or 112 — same service) for immediate danger to life or property: fire, serious injury, crime happening now. NHS 111 for urgent health worries that aren't life-threatening — free, 24/7, and they can arrange interpreters. Save both now with clear names ("999 EMERGENCY", "NHS 111 urgent health") so a panicking family member finds them instantly.
PrepareEvery family member's phone, two minutes each.
Watch outCalling 999 for non-emergencies "to be safe" — misuse wastes rescue capacity and can itself cause trouble; 111 exists exactly for the in-between.
This one is serious — get real helpThis step involves a high-risk area (legal, immigration, medical or benefits). We won't advise you here. Ask MyLife AI to prepare, or contact an official or appropriately regulated service before you act.
- Step 2
Map the money-and-home crisis lines
Three free lines handle the crises that build slowly then explode. Citizens Advice, 0800 144 8848: any rights question — debt, work, benefits, consumer fights. Shelter, 0808 800 4444: anything housing, from illegal eviction threats to imminent homelessness (your council's housing team has a same-day duty to assess you if you're about to lose your home). Action Fraud, 0300 123 2040: scams and fraud. Save all three today.
PrepareYour phone's contacts app.
Watch outWaiting until eviction day to call anyone — housing rights get weaker with every ignored letter; call at the FIRST threatening notice.
- Step 3
Know the protection lines nobody talks about
Some emergencies hide inside homes and heads. National Domestic Abuse Helpline, 0808 2000 247: free, 24/7, confidential, interpreters available — for you or for someone you're worried about, and calling changes nothing until YOU decide. Samaritans, 116 123: when thoughts get dark, any hour. In immediate danger from anyone, it's 999 — and if you can't speak safely, dial 999 then press 55 when prompted.
PrepareNothing — these save quietly in a contact named something neutral if needed.
Watch outAssuming immigration status blocks help — abuse and crisis services help regardless of status, and police priority is the danger, not your visa.
- Step 4
Add the consulate and the non-emergency lines
Round out the map: your nearest Turkish consulate's appointment line (lost passports, documents, registrations — find your consulate's current details and save them), police non-emergency 101 (theft you're reporting after the fact, suspicious activity), and your GP plus your bank's fraud line. Ten contacts total. Print the list too and stick it inside a kitchen cupboard — phones die precisely on bad days.
PrepareYour consulate's city (London, or your regional one) and your bank cards.
Watch outConsulate appointment "agents" selling booking slots on social media — appointments are free through the official e-konsolosluk system.
- Step 5
Run the two-minute family drill
A map only works if everyone can read it. Once, over dinner, walk the household through it: this number for fire or danger, this one when someone's ill at night, this cupboard has the printed list, this neighbour has our spare key. Children old enough to hold a phone should know 999 and the home address by heart. Two minutes now; on the day it matters, everyone already knows their part.
PrepareThe printed list and one family dinner.
Watch outDoing this alone and telling nobody — the person who built the map is not always the person home when it's needed.
Need help? Ask MyLife
It already knows which playbook you're in. Answers come from official sources, with dates.