Festive Season 2021
We understand that many of you will be making preparations for the festive season ahead and maybe looking forward to opportunities to meet up with family and friends during the designated period of relaxation of the lockdown rules. Please take care of yourselves and your family as Coronavrius remains in our community and will do so for the foreseeable future. Consider sensible measures to stay safe even when visiting others as this will help to keep everyone healthy in the weeks ahead.
The practice will be closed on the following NHS Borders designated Public holidays.
- Friday 25th December 2020
- Monday 28th December 2020
- Friday 1st January 2021
- Monday 4th January 2021
Thus, the practice will be closed for two periods
- From 6pm on Christmas Eve until 8am* on Tuesday 29th December
- From 6pm on New Years Eve until 8am* on Tuesday 5th January
*Emergency calls only between 8am and 8.30am as per usual arrangements
If you need medical assistance when the practice is closed during the above periods then please call NHS24 on 111. If you have a life-threatening medical emergency then call 999 without delay.
Information on common medical conditions and the latest Covid-19 guidance can be found on-line at the NHS24 website
We anticipate demand for our services to be high on the following dates
- Monday 21st to Wednesday 23rd December
- Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th December
- Tuesday 5th to Friday 8th January
Please assist us during the festive period by :
- Ordering medication in good time to avoid making urgent demands which we may not be able to fulfil. It is patient’s responsibility to place orders in good time and we would advise allowing at least 7 working days during the festive season from order to collection at the pharmacy or dispensary.
- Avoiding contacting us about long-standing, unchanged, chronic medical problems at times of peak demand on our services. If demand exceeds capacity on busy days then triage and prioritisation will occur to ensure we can deal with clinically urgent conditions.
- Considering using the Pharmacy First service for minor ailments and injuries noting that this service is unsuitable for urgent or serious medical conditions that require clinical assessment.
- Understanding that the clinical team is diverse with a range of practitioners answering calls supported by GPs.
- Being patient, polite and kind to members of our team. We will always be working as hard as possible behind the scenes to help but our capacity is significantly limited due to Covid precautions at the current time. At any given time, we may be contending with staff absences due to ill health or self-isolation requirements.
Finally, we would like to thank those who have shown patience and understanding during contacts with us over the past few months since the onset of the pandemic. Your support, tolerance and understanding has been greatly appreciated.
With our very best wishes for a happy and healthy 2021.
