116117 and HS: What Germany's Medical On-Call Number Is For — and What It Isn't Canonical URL: https://www.acneinversa.life/en/blog/116117-hidradenitis-suppurativa-when-to-call/ Markdown URL: https://www.acneinversa.life/en/blog/116117-hidradenitis-suppurativa-when-to-call.md Plain text URL: https://www.acneinversa.life/en/blog/116117-hidradenitis-suppurativa-when-to-call.txt Language: en Category: Doctor Visits Published: 2026-08-02 Last updated: 2026-08-02 Last editorially reviewed: 2026-08-02 Next scheduled review: 2027-08-02 Author: Dr. rer. nat. Dennis Alexander Kwiatkowski (Biochemist, Scientific Writer and Pharma Expert) Scientific editor: Dr. rer. nat. Dennis Alexander Kwiatkowski Reviewer qualifications: Biochemist, Scientific Writer and Pharma Expert Review scope: Scientific literature, clinical guidelines, sources, and editorial clarity Clinical reviewer: No independent clinical review Tags: Acne Inversa, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, HS, Doctor Visits, 116117, medical on-call service, out of hours care, doctor visits, Germany Many people living with hidradenitis suppurativa in Germany have never heard of 116117. This article explains what the medical on-call service and the appointment service actually do, when calling makes sense, and when your dermatology practice or 112 is the right route instead. Medical disclaimer: This website is for general educational information only and does not replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please speak with qualified medical professionals about symptoms or treatment decisions. 60-second summary - 116117 is a free, nationwide German number with two separate jobs: on-call care and appointment booking. - The on-call service covers hours when practices are closed and something cannot wait until they reopen. - The appointment service is different: it helps find routine doctor and psychotherapy appointments. - For potentially life-threatening situations the number is not 116117 but the emergency number 112. - 116117 does not diagnose HS and does not replace ongoing dermatology care. What this means: Knowing the difference means not losing time on a Saturday night working out who to call at all. What we are less certain about: How the on-call service is organised varies by region: sometimes phone advice, sometimes an on-call practice, sometimes a home visit. What you can do next: Read which HS changes belong to routine review, prompt assessment or emergency care. Article It is Saturday evening. A lesion in the groin has become noticeably more painful since the morning, the skin feels warmer than usual, and you are not sure whether this is still your ordinary flare. Your dermatology practice does not open until Monday. What now? Germany has a number for exactly this gap — too urgent to wait, not an emergency: 116117. Many people living with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS, acne inversa) have never heard of it. This article explains what sits behind the number, what it is for, and — just as importantly — what it is not for. Note: This article explains how the care system is organised. It cannot assess your symptoms and does not replace medical judgement. What 116117 actually is 116117 is a nationwide number run by the Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. It works without an area code, is staffed around the clock, and is free for the caller — from a landline and from a mobile. The key thing to understand: there are two different services behind the number, and they are frequently confused. 1. The medical on-call service This is the part most people mean. The medical on-call service — known in German as the ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst, and regionally as the Notdienst or Bereitschaftspraxis — takes over when practices are closed: evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays. It is intended for people who are not life-threateningly ill but whose problem cannot wait until the next regular consultation. On the phone, you discuss what the sensible next step is. Depending on the situation and the region, that can mean advice by phone, a pointer to an on-call practice nearby that is open, or a home visit. 2. The appointment service The second part has nothing to do with acute situations. The appointment service helps people with statutory health insurance find routine appointments with doctors and psychotherapists, by phone or online. That is the route for "I finally need a dermatology appointment", not for "I feel terrible tonight". The distinction is worth remembering. Calling at night does not land you in appointment booking, and looking for a specialist appointment does not get you treated by the on-call service. Why this matters particularly with HS HS has a feature that makes the decision harder than for most conditions: the disease already looks alarming on its own. Painful lumps, inflammation, draining lesions and odour are part of the ordinary course for many people. Someone with another condition who suddenly notices pus or swelling recognises it as unusual. With HS, it is the familiar state. That produces two opposite errors: - Some people go to an emergency department for an ordinary flare, because nobody ever explained the difference. - Others wait far too long when something genuinely deteriorates, because they have learned to dismiss pain and drainage as "normal". 116117 sits precisely in the gap between those two errors: somewhere to ask outside practice hours without having to use an emergency department. One point stays important throughout: drainage or pus alone does not tell you whether a lesion is bacterially infected. HS is an inflammatory disease rather than an infection — but secondary infection can occur. Whether it has cannot be decided over the phone, and not from any single feature. When calling 116117 can make sense The on-call service is for situations where you would ordinarily see a practice, the practices are closed, and the matter cannot wait until they reopen. With HS, that might be: - Symptoms change noticeably over the weekend and your usual self-management is no longer coping. - You feel unwell in yourself on top of the skin symptoms — with fever or chills, for example. - An area of inflammation is spreading visibly fast, or is becoming increasingly hot and swollen. - After a procedure, a wound changes in a way your surgical team told you to report — and the team cannot be reached right now. - Pain has become suddenly much more severe than usual and you do not know how to get through the night. You do not need to be sure that "something serious" is going on. Working that out is exactly what the service is for. When 116117 is not the right route The other direction matters just as much. For potentially life-threatening situations the number is 112, not 116117. That covers general emergency signs such as severe breathing difficulty, loss of consciousness or severely impaired consciousness, a severe allergic reaction, or extremely severe acute pain. If you are unsure whether a situation is life-threatening, call the emergency number — that rule is stated explicitly in the official German emergency guidance and applies regardless of anyone's underlying condition. 116117 is also not the place for ongoing HS management. The on-call service bridges a gap; it does not take over longer-term treatment planning, does not adjust long-term medication, and does not replace being connected to dermatology. Questions like "is my current treatment working?" or "should we change the plan?" belong in a regular consultation. And anything that can be planned belongs in practice hours. A prescription that has been due for two weeks, a referral, or a certificate are not cases for the on-call service. What to have ready before you call A call is considerably more useful if you have a few things at hand. With HS, one of them matters more than the rest: the comparison with your own usual pattern. - Your diagnosis in plain words: "I have acne inversa, also called hidradenitis suppurativa." Clinicians outside dermatology do not see the condition often. - What is different today compared with an ordinary flare — and since when. - Whether you have a fever or feel unwell overall. - Which areas are affected, and whether you have had a procedure recently. - Your current medicines, including anything bought without a prescription. - Your insurance card and, if you have them, records from dermatology. If you already document your symptoms, a quick look at your notes before calling is usually faster than reconstructing it from memory mid-conversation. The three routes at a glance For everyday life with HS in Germany, three routes are worth keeping apart: 1. Routine review — your dermatology or general practice. For pain that interferes with daily activities, repeated flares, several affected areas, or a treatment that is not working as expected. 2. 116117 — outside practice hours, when something is urgent but not life-threatening and cannot wait until practices reopen. 3. 112 — when a situation appears life-threatening or serious permanent harm may be at risk. This split does not make any decision for you and says nothing about what is causing your symptoms. It only means that, in an already difficult moment, you do not also have to work out who to call. Which HS changes belong to which of the three routes is described in more detail on its own page: When should I get medical help with HS? (/en/when-to-get-medical-help-hs/) FAQ Does calling 116117 cost anything? No. The number works nationwide without an area code, and the call is free of charge — from a landline and from a mobile. Is 116117 an emergency number? No. The medical on-call service is for urgent but non-life-threatening problems. For potentially life-threatening situations, or where serious permanent harm may be at risk, the number is 112. Can I get a dermatology appointment through 116117? The 116117 appointment service arranges appointments with doctors and psychotherapists for people with statutory health insurance. Whether and how quickly a dermatology appointment can be arranged depends on the request and on what is available in your region. Will the on-call service treat my HS? The on-call service bridges the gap until regular care is available. The longer-term management of hidradenitis suppurativa stays with your dermatology or general practice. References 1. The medical on-call service: what it covers and when to call - 116117.de (National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians) - https://www.116117.de/de/aerztlicher-bereitschaftsdienst.php 2. 116117 appointment service - 116117.de (National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians) - https://www.116117.de/de/terminservice.php 3. Medical on-call service (Ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst) - gesund.bund.de (Federal Ministry of Health) - https://gesund.bund.de/wege-im-gesundheitswesen/erwachsenenleben/notfaelle/aerztlicher-bereitschaftsdienst 4. Numbers to call in the event of an emergency - gesund.bund.de (Federal Ministry of Health) - https://gesund.bund.de/en/notfallnummern 5. Hidradenitis suppurativa - NHS - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hidradenitis-suppurativa/