With Christmas fast approaching, the North West’s Chief Pharmacist is urging people to add ordering and collecting repeat prescriptions to their to-do lists.

GP practices and pharmacies will have different opening hours over Christmas and New Year period and will be closed on Monday 25 December and Tuesday 26 December, then again over the New Year period on Monday 1 January 2024, making it more challenging for patients to access medicines at short notice.

Karen O’Brien MBE, the North West’s Chief Pharmacist advises ordering any repeat prescriptions that are due before or during the Christmas and New Year period no later than Friday 15 December. Karen said: “Taking your medication regularly is important for a number of conditions. Please do not forget to order your repeat prescriptions if they’re due to make sure you have the medicine you need over Christmas and New Year.

“Planning ahead, re-stocking your medicine cabinets and knowing when your GP practice is open means that you can focus on what’s most important at Christmas and New Year, being with your friends and family.

“Ordering your repeat prescription could not be easier, you can put your order in through the NHS App, GP online services. If you do not have access to these, you can simply order through your GP practice or local pharmacy.”

Last winter (December 2022 – February 2023), NHS 111 received over 20,000 calls from people who needed repeat prescriptions, making it the second-highest reason for calling during that period.

Calls for repeat prescriptions spiked again over the most recent August bank holiday, when 1,643 people contacted the service for urgent medication, an increase of 86% compared to the same period the previous week.

Find out more about the NHS App at: www.nhs.uk/nhsapp

If you or your friends and family feel unwell over the bank holiday weekend, you can check symptoms and get access to advice using 111.nhs.uk online. NHS 111 is a free service which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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