Module 7 - Urgency & Safety Calls
Medical Advice Calls
What you will learn
Request telemedical advice through HM Coastguard and give observable casualty and vessel facts without inventing a diagnosis.
UK Telemedical Advice Service contact starts with HM Coastguard. The radio priority follows the casualty's current danger, and good handover facts help the Coastguard and doctor decide what happens next.
MCA MGN 623 applies the Telemedical Advice Service to merchant and pleasure vessels. First contact HM Coastguard by VHF DSC or Channel 16 as appropriate. Phone or satellite communication may supplement the radio route but should not be the sole means of raising the request because the Coastguard coordinates the medical link and any maritime response.
For an urgent request below distress, the published voice opening uses PAN-PAN three times, ALL STATIONS three times or the named Coastguard station three times if known, THIS IS, vessel name three times, call sign, MMSI and I REQUIRE MEDICAL ADVICE, then OVER. HM Coastguard directs the working frequency and gathers a brief description before linking the vessel to a doctor.
Prepare observable facts: vessel identity and type, current position, intended landing port, casualty age and sex where relevant, consciousness, breathing, symptoms or injury, onset, changes, first aid given, medication and allergies if known. Do not delay immediate first aid to complete a perfect list. Telemedical advice supplements onboard first aid and published medical guidance; it does not replace them.
| Handover group | Useful facts | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Vessel | Identity, type, position, route or landing port | Locates and connects the response |
| Casualty | Age/sex if relevant, conscious, breathing, symptoms or injury | Describes current condition |
| Timeline | Onset, changes and first aid already given | Shows progression and actions |
| Constraints | Medication, allergies, onboard capability and weather | Supports a realistic plan |
Prepare a factual medical handover
A crew member has severe abdominal pain, is conscious and breathing normally, but is worsening. The yacht needs urgent medical advice.
1. Choose priority
Use PAN-PAN while ready to upgrade if the casualty becomes gravely and imminently endangered.
2. Call HM Coastguard
Use the published medical-advice opening and move to the directed working channel.
3. Give observations
Describe what is seen, heard, measured and already done; answer questions and write down advice.
Sense check: The handover should separate observed facts from assumptions and give enough vessel context for a practical plan.
Common mistake or limitation
- Calling a hospital directly and excluding HM Coastguard from the maritime response route.
- Offering a confident diagnosis instead of reporting observable signs, symptoms and changes.
- Keeping PAN-PAN after the casualty reaches grave and imminent danger requiring immediate assistance.
Recap
- First contact HM Coastguard for UK telemedical advice at sea.
- Give observable medical facts plus position and vessel constraints.
- Continue first aid and upgrade to Mayday when the distress threshold is reached.
Optional quick check
Section 6 of 9
Which opening best fits a serious but not presently life-threatening medical problem at sea?
Sources and factual review
Reviewed 20 August 2026 - Compass Revision editorial review.
Continue studying Urgency & Safety Calls
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