GP and pharmacy opening times on Bank Holiday today (Friday May 8)

GP practices across Oxfordshire will be open for routine and urgent appointments on Bank Holiday, Friday May 8 between 8am and 2pm.

Patients who need support or advice are asked to telephone their GP practice initially and not to visit unless asked to.

For Friday afternoon and through the weekend, patients should contact NHS 111 if they need help or advice.

For information about pharmacy opening times on the Bank Holiday here at: https://www.oxfordshireccg.nhs.uk/your-health/choose-the-right-service/pharmacy.htm

COVID-19 clinics in Abingdon, Oxford and Banbury will be open on the Bank Holiday to see suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.

However, only patients with a pre-arranged appointment made via their GP practice or NHS 111 will be asked to attend a COVID-19 clinic.

The advice from the NHS for the Bank Holiday and over the weekend is that people should stay home in line with government guidance.

However, if you or someone you live with or care for has COVID-19 symptoms (high temperature and / or a new continuous cough) you/they must:

• Stay at home.

• If symptoms worsen or they feel that they cannot manage at home, contact the NHS 111 online coronavirus service, or call if you do not have internet access.

People may be referred to a COVID-19 clinic in the community.

• Please do not visit your GP practice or community pharmacy.

Other services available on the Bank Holiday:

Dental services

• NHS dental practices are providing urgent telephone advice and triage. If patients have a regular dentist they should call them as a first step.

Please do not visit the practice. The dentist will assess their situation over the phone, including giving advice and, if needed, prescriptions for painkillers or antibiotics which can then be collected from or delivered by a local pharmacy.

• If people don’t have a regular dentist and need urgent dental advice, call NHS 111.

• If a dentist or NHS 111 think that you need urgent face-to face treatment, they will refer you for local urgent dental care so that any necessary emergency treatment can be carried out.

• If a face-to-face appointment is necessary, you will be advised on what to do. Urgent dental centres have measures in place to minimise any risk from coronavirus

• Please do not visit A&E departments with dental problems.

Emergency Departments (A&E) and the 999 emergency ambulance

These services provide vital care for life-threatening emergencies, such as loss of consciousness, suspected heart attack or stroke, severe breathing difficulties or severe bleeding that cannot be stopped. In these cases call 999 immediately.

*A message from the Banbury Guardian Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper when you do your weekly shop.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.