A new 3 digit telephone number could soon be trialled in Plymouth for people who don't need emergency medical assistance, but do need help or advice.

It's one of the issues that will be addressed by a group of city councillors today as they look into urgent care options for Plymouth residents.

 There are already trials underway elsewhere in the country, but officials want to roll it out as soon as possible.

NHS Plymouth, the South Western ambulance service and NHS Direct have put in a joint bid to trial the service in the south west and should find out the outcome by April.

This is just one of the issues covered in a report on Plymouth's urgent care options, which will be presented to a scrutiny committee this afternoon.

It also details a capacity management system being rolled out within the south western ambulance service this month, which will redirect people who call asking for an ambulance but should be using other urgent care services.

There are around 38,000 ambulance activations and 70-thousand visits to the emergency department in Plymouth every year.