Pharmacies open on bank holidays, Christmas and New Year
Pharmacy opening hours on our site are their normal weekly hours. On bank holidays many pharmacies close or open for shorter hours, and the NHS arranges a rota so that some pharmacies in each area are open.
How to find one that's open
- England: NHS England publishes bank holiday rotas through local NHS bodies, and NHS 111 knows which pharmacies are open.
- Scotland: NHS inform and your health board website list festive opening hours.
- Wales: health boards publish bank holiday pharmacy rotas; NHS 111 Wales can help.
- Northern Ireland: nidirect publishes holiday pharmacy rotas.
Large supermarket and city-centre pharmacies are more likely to open, often with reduced hours. Always phone first.
Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Very few pharmacies open on Christmas Day. Rota pharmacies usually open for a few hours only. If you need medicine on Christmas Day, plan ahead — order repeat prescriptions at least a week before the holidays.
Urgent help when pharmacies are closed
Call NHS 111 (or NHS 24 on 111 in Scotland). In a medical emergency call 999.