Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, it has been confirmed that Monday 19 September will be a bank holiday.
This means many GP practices will be closed on Monday, reopening as normal on Tuesday 20 September.
To ensure people can access primary care services during this time, appointments will be available from GP out of hours providers for those who need urgent medical help.
Anyone needing medical care on the Bank Holiday is advised to call their usual GP surgery and listen carefully to the out of hours information on the answerphone message.
Depending on your practice’s local arrangements, you may be directed to their out of hours GP provider, or to the NHS 111 service.
For out of hours providers, you will be assessed by a clinician and offered a suitable appointment if required. This may be a video, telephone, or face-to-face appointment with a healthcare professional who will, with your consent, have access to your patient records.
You can access NHS 111 online any time at 111.nhs.uk. Enter your age, sex, postcode, and main symptom, and then you will be guided through a series of questions about your health problem. Alternatively, you can call 111 from any phone and the operator will run through a few questions with you. In both cases, you will then be given advice on how to manage your condition, or directed to a healthcare provider if appropriate. In some cases, an appointment can be booked directly through NHS 111 if needed.
Don’t forget, your local pharmacy can also provide confidential, expert advice and treatment for a range of minor illnesses. A number of pharmacies will be open across the bank holiday and you can search for your nearest open pharmacy here.
Bank holidays can mean that A&E could be particularly busy. If you are feeling unwell but your condition is not life-threatening, please use NHS 111.
For a medical emergency call 999 or go to your nearest A&E.
