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Do you know where to turn if you fall ill this bank holiday?

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West Lancashire residents are being advised to think ahead and plan for any medical needs this forthcoming Bank Holiday weekend.

GP practices in West Lancashire will be closed on Bank Holiday Monday (27 August 2018). However, by examining your options, residents need not worry if they fall ill, as a number of pharmacies will be open.

Your local pharmacy can offer free, confidential and expert advice on a range of health issues. They can help you prepare for many common illnesses and ensure you have a well-stocked medicine cabinet over the bank holiday period.

In West Lancashire, the following pharmacies will remain open on Bank Holiday Monday, with their opening times as follows:

August Bank Holiday Monday 27 August 2018

  • Asda Pharmacy, Ingram, Skelmersdale, WN8 6LA – 01695 567 010 – 9am – 6pm
  • Morrisons In-store Pharmacy, Park Road/Aughton Street, Ormskirk, L39 3RB – 01695 573 289 – 10am – 4pm

You can also find out pharmacy opening times, by visiting the NHS West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) website and following their Twitter and Facebook pages.

In addition to pharmacies, residents are also reminded that there are other health services available to you over the weekend.

NHS.UK

You can find a wealth of trusted advice about hundreds of health conditions and details of GPs, pharmacies in your local area by visiting www.nhs.uk. This useful website also includes a handy symptom checker.

If you need medical care for illnesses you cannot treat yourself, then your GP should be your next port of call.

Your Local GP

Your GP should be your first point of contact for non-emergency illnesses you can’t treat yourself. A GP will be available from 8.00am to 6.30pm weekdays (local GP practice times may vary). If you don’t have a GP, you can register with your local surgery.

If you’re not sure where this is, you can find out at: www.nhs.uk or call 0300 311 22 33.

In West Lancashire, residents can now see a GP in the evenings and weekends at certain times.

Tuesdays – Skelmersdale Family Practice, 6.30pm to 8pm

Wednesdays – Tarleton Group Practice – 6.30pm to 8pm

Saturdays – GP, nurse and blood clinics at Sandy Lane Health Centre (Skelmersdale), Burscough Health Centre and Ormskirk Medical Centre from 10am – 4pm

Sundays – Sandy Lane Health Centre, Burscough Health Centre and Ormskirk Medical Practice, 10am – 2pm – GP and nurse appointments only.

To make an appointment to see an extended hours GP, contact your GP practice.

Over August Bank Holiday, additional appointments will be available from on Monday 27 August 2018 from 10am to 2pm at Sandy Lane Health Centre in Skelmersdale and the Burscough Health Centre.

GP Out of Hours Service

If your local surgery is closed, you can still see a GP with the GP out-of-hours service; just call 111 and you can speak to a local GP over the phone or face to face if necessary.

It is very likely that you and your family will be seen and treated more quickly using the out-of-hours service than if you were waiting to see a doctor in A&E, especially at busy times.

Walk-in centres

West Lancashire has two walk-in centres.  The West Lancashire Walk-in Centre in Ormskirk, which is based at Ormskirk Hospital, Wigan Road, Ormskirk, L39 2AZ. This centre is open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week and the Skelmersdale Walk-in Centre at The Concourse, Skelmersdale, WN8 6LJ, which is open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.

Colleagues within these centres, can treat minor injuries and minor ailments and all services are delivered by Virgin Care.

To access help, visit the respective centre that you would like to use and speak to the receptionist. Once you are booked in, you will be seen by a clinician who will decide how urgent your case is and you will be then be seen in priority order.

Both walk-in centres will be open from 8am to 8pm on the August Bank Holiday Monday, 27 August 2018.

Patient Access

Manage your repeat prescriptions and make GP appointments from the comfort of your own home, without having to venture outside, by using the new FREE Patient Access website and smartphone app. Simply search for ‘Patient Access’ in the app store.

Remember though, if using Patient Access for the very first time, you will first have to contact your GP practice so that you can register to use the app.

For West Lancashire pharmacy opening times over the bank holiday, please visit www.westlancashireccg.nhs.uk/resources/patient-and-public-information/west-lancashire-pharmacy-bank-holiday-opening-times

Dr John Caine, a local GP and chair at NHS West Lancashire, said: “You don’t need to make an appointment to visit your local pharmacy, they can treat you for many minor conditions and ailments, saving you a visit to your GP and they can offer help and advice to self-care, so that you can manage conditions at home with a well-stocked medicine cupboard.

“If you order a repeat prescription, then please remember to plan your journey ahead to order any repeat medication that you may need over the weekend.”

For more information visit the CCG’s website www.westlancashireccg.nhs.uk.

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