GP surgeries across Wales will close their doors on Monday out of respect to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Monday, September 19 was declared a bank holiday by King Charles III to coincide with his mother's state funeral at Westminster Abbey.
As normal bank holiday arrangements are in place on that day, the majority of GP surgeries in Wales will close and will operate an out-of-hours service instead. Similarly, some health boards including Aneurin Bevan UHB have confirmed that planned hospital appointments and clinics will be postponed. You can read more about that here.
However, emergency care including the Welsh Ambulance Service and A&E departments will continue as normal. A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: "We have written to all NHS organisations in Wales to outline our expectation that services run in line with normal bank holiday arrangements, ensuring urgent and emergency services are maintained and where workforce allows, continue with planned care services with a particular focus on cancer and clinically urgent procedures. We are also asking organisations to ensure staff, patients, and the public are made aware of any changes to services."
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The Welsh Government has told health boards to ensure full out-of-hours services are provided and that patient communication is updated to reflect this position. It has told GP practices to reschedule pre-booked appointments and ensure patients can receive prescriptions, especially repeat medicines, in advance of the bank holiday.
Similarly, health boards have been advised to contact dental practices and and community pharmacies to confirm available services on the bank holiday, ensuring patients can continue to access urgent dental care and have continuing convenient access to medicines. Opticians may also choose to open on bank holidays and should notify their health board primary care teams should their opening hours differ to their contractual obligations.
And given the importance of delivering the Covid-19 autumn booster programme, the Welsh Government has asked that scheduled care home visits - which are a high priority for the programme - are maintained and delivered as planned. "We strongly encourage any clinics scheduled on that day to be maintained where workforce arrangements allow a safe and effective service particularly where there is a high population need," the Welsh Government added.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, which covers RCT, Merthyr Tydfil and Bridgend, has confirmed all Covid-19 autumn booster appointments will still go ahead on the day of the state funeral. All six of its community vaccination centres will be open on Monday.
Anyone who is booked in for a vaccine, but due to the funeral does not wish to attend or is no longer able to because of the bank holiday, will be able to change their appointment to the next available appointment on another day.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB's assistant director of planning, Julie Keegan, runs the health board’s vaccination programme and said: "We're in the middle of vaccinating the most vulnerable people in our communities, and it's really important those people come forward for their booster. This is why we wanted to make sure people could still have their vaccine on the Monday, as we try to give our communities the maximum protection against Covid-19 as we head towards the winter.
"Having said that, we also understand, and respect, that some people might not want to attend on the day of the funeral, or may not be able to due to child care or changes to public transport. Whatever the individual reason, all they need to do is contact us to let us know, and we’ll give them the next available appointment on another day.
"I would also like to thank our vaccination teams, the vaccinators, the admin teams, pharmacists and the helpline team, who have volunteered to work the bank holiday to make sure the autumn booster programme continues."
The Queen's funeral has been designated as a bank holiday for the whole of the UK. While schools will be closed, when it comes to employment the UK Government guidance is that the decision on closures "is a matter for discussion between individuals and their employer" and that "there is no statutory entitlement to time off for bank holidays, but employers may include bank holidays as part of a worker’s leave entitlement".
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