The NHS in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland has issued advice to local residents to support them with their healthcare needs, ahead of the May bank holiday on Monday 6 May.
GP practices and many community pharmacies will be closed on the May bank holiday, and people on regular medication are advised to avoid being caught short and running out of supplies.
Anyone taking regular prescription medication, should check they have enough to last in the next couple of days and, if they need more, they should request a repeat prescription immediately. People can order their medication using the NHS App, or through their GP practice, which may also have an online service.
The Friday before a bank holiday is always a very busy day for GP practices and pharmacies, and last-minute orders put a strain on their resources, with the risk that people may not be able to get hold of their medication in time. Ordering early will save time and will make sure people can collect their medicine from their nearest pharmacy and not have to travel further.
For all urgent health needs over the bank holiday, people are advised to use NHS111 online www.111.nhs.uk or they can phone 111 or use the NHS App. This service provides advice on common ailments and, if necessary, they can arrange for you to see a nurse or doctor at a local urgent care service, with an appointment or arrival time-slot. It is better for people to go through 111 for these services to make sure it is the right place for them to go to with their particular medical situation and to keep their waiting time to a minimum.
Some people may prefer to go to an urgent care service without an appointment. There are several urgent care services in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland that can be used in this way which can be found by visiting https://bit.ly/LLRUrgentCare
For urgent mental health support, people can call the Central Access Point (CAP) on 0116 295 3060 and 0808 800 3302 open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The 999 service should only be used for an urgent, life threatening, medical situation, where emergency assistance is required.
Local community pharmacists are qualified health professionals and are the right people to see for advice on minor ailments and for over-the-counter medicines. You can find a list of the pharmacies that will be open on bank holiday Monday and their opening times at: https://leicesterleicestershireandrutland.icb.nhs.uk/your–health/get–in–the–know/rightnow/bank–holiday–pharmacy–opening–times/. Under the Pharmacy First scheme, many pharmacies can also now offer treatment and prescription medicine for some conditions, without you needing to see a GP.
You can find more information like this on the Get in the Know website for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, to help them get the right care as quickly as possible when they are unwell or injured, Visit: https://bit.ly/RightNowNHSLLR.
