I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to use the phone on Shabbos. I’ve even had to drive on Shabbos. When you have a family member with health problems, this is the reality.
Doing this does not require teshuva, as you did nothing wrong. In fact, if you push things off until after Shabbos, that would probably require teshuva, because you prioritized Shabbos over a person’s life.
After one of the first times I had to go with someone to the hospital on Shabbos, I was discussing with my Rav about how I did things. I old him that I didn’t know if I did everything properly, minimizing the melachah as much as possible.
He responded to me that it’s easier when you know something will happen – for example, if your wife is due to give birth, and there’s a good chance it will happen on Shabbos, you can pre-arrange for a car, explaining that payment will be given after Shabbos, ask for them to open doors, etc.
When it’s an unplanned emergency, you just react, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In a case of pikuach nefesh, you do what you think is best to help the person. You’re in the ER and need a nurse, and you don’t see one at the desk? You can ring the call bell. His words were, “Don’t overthink things.” Trying to minimize melachah can cause the level of care to be less.
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