Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II the government has confirmed that Monday 19 September will be a Bank Holiday.
While people across the county will be keen to use the day to pay their respects to Her Majesty and commemorate the day with family and friends, the additional Bank Holiday will mean that some health and care services opening times and hours will be affected.
Pharmacies and GP practices
While some pharmacies and healthcare settings will be open on Monday 19 September, most GP practices will be closed for three days from Friday 16 September until Tuesday 20 September.
What you can do to prepare ahead of the Bank Holiday
All NHS Services in Somerset are working hard to inform patients directly impacted, but it is important that people are as prepared as possible in advance of the weekend.
This includes:
- Making sure you have a well-stocked medicine cabinet, knowing when your GP practice is open and for those individuals who have repeat prescriptions, making sure they have enough medicine to see them through this period. Prescription requests should be ordered in advance and can be done online through the NHS app or directly through your local GP practice.
- Individuals who have booked their Covid-19 autumn booster for Monday 19 September can find up-to-date information about vaccinations across Somerset on our vaccination webpage. If sites have cancelled appointments for that day, everyone affected will be given the opportunity to re-book. People will also be given the option to re-schedule if they would prefer not to attend.
How to access urgent care over the Bank Holiday
The NHS remains open this bank holiday weekend, but if people have an urgent care need, please don’t wait.
- Contact 111 either online at 111.nhs.uk or by calling NHS 111 to ensure you get the right medical advice or treatment more quickly. If needed, they will able to arrange for you to be seen safely by the service that best meets your healthcare needs.
- For those with minor illnesses, including hay fever, coughs and colds, skin infections as well as aches and pains, people can speak to their local pharmacist. Opening hours for pharmacies this weekend can be found on the NHS England website.
- For injuries which are not life-threatening there are also a number of Minor Injury Units in Somerset which can help with a wide range of conditions from broken bones to throat and chest infections as well as sprains, strains and wounds.
- Health advice and information is also available on the NHS website or from your local GP practice website which links to a range of online services. For children’s health advice download the HANDi App, available for Android phones on Google Play or on the App store for iPhone and iPad.
For life-threatening emergencies, people should continue to call 999 or go to their nearest Accident and Emergency Department. If in doubt, please call NHS 111 for advice, they can assess what level of care you need and arrange for you to be seen at a local emergency department, if suitable.
We would like to thank all the health and care staff working over the Bank Holiday.