GP surgeries to close and hospitals to offer enhanced Bank Holiday services on Monday

Following Queen Elizabeth’s passing, the King confirmed Monday will be a Bank Holiday with many businesses expected to close throughout the UK.

Across Northern Ireland’s hospitals, health trusts will be operating enhanced Bank Holiday services in order to reduce the impact on patients and service users.

This means trusts will be offering a range of services in addition to those ordinarily provided on a Bank Holiday.

They will endeavour to maintain as many scheduled inpatient, day case and diagnostics services as possible, with priority given to those people with greatest clinical need.

Chemotherapy sessions will also be maintained.

Where your care will be affected by the Bank Holiday, the relevant trust will be in contact with you.

While GP surgeries will shut, anyone requiring urgent medical care that cannot wait will be able to contact GP Out of Hours.

GP Out of Hours will operate from 6pm on Friday 16 September to 8am on Tuesday 20 September.

The majority of community pharmacies will be closed and a pharmacy rota will be in place.

If you require a pharmacy on Monday, please check the rota to find a pharmacy near you.

Meanwhile, if you experience a dental problem, you should ring your dental surgery or, if you are not registered with a dentist, you should contact a local dentist.

Dentists will have arrangements in place to offer advice, prescription for pain relief or management of your urgent dental condition.

Anyone with an urgent eye problem on Monday 19 September, is asked to contact their local optometrist in the first instance.

If your optometry practice is closed, and your eye problem is very urgent and cannot wait until normal opening hours, please contact your nearest hospital Emergency Department.

For social care emergency on Monday, please call the Regional Emergency Social Work Service on Tel. 028 9504 9999.

You should always call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

If you or someone you know is in distress or despair, call Lifeline on 0800 808 8000.