Are hospital, GP and NHS services running in Liverpool on Queen’s funeral bank holiday?

NHS organisations across Liverpool have annonced details about possible changes to services on the date of Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral on Monday September 19.

King Charles III, the newly proclaimed monarch, approved a bank holiday for the day of the funeral during the first part of his proclamation in St James’s Palace, London.

Will NHS services in Liverpool be affected?

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust

A statement from Alder Hey said that urgent procedures and appointments will go ahead as planned on Monday September 19.

However, any patients whose appointments or procedures are affected by the bank holiday will be contacted directly, and their appointment rescheduled as quickly as possible.

The emergency deparment will be open as usual and NHS 111 online can also be contacted for urgent medial help.

The trust urged anyone who has an appointment with Alder Hey to still attend unless they have been told otherwise.

Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

The Trust will be continuing with clincal activity on the day of the Queen’s funeral but warned that changes to some appointments may occur.

Patients have been asked to wait to be contacted directly by the hospital for further details this week.

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The Trust, which includes Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital and Liverpool University Dental Hospital, has published advice stating that all clinically urgent and cancer surgery will be maintained and the Trust will be running some outpatient clinics, including pre-operative clinics.

Any patients who have an appointment on September 19 should attend their appointment as planned unless they have been contacted by the Trust beforehand.

Appointments impacted by the Bank Holiday will be rescheduled, on a clinically prioritised basis, over the next two weeks.

The Trust said its emergency departments (ED) will be open as normal, although the organisation issued a full capacity protocol alert this week due to overcrowding and lack of space in the Royal Liverpool University Hospital ED.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: “The full capacity protocol is activated due to a high number of patient attendances in our ED. This protocol is used nationally and is designed to support patient flow for emergency and urgent care teams caring for patients awaiting treatment.

“People with serious medical emergencies will always be prioritised for treatment and we would ask people with less urgent concerns to contact NHS 111 for advice on alternative services.”

GP practices

Many of Liverpool’s GP practices will be closing or offering a reduced service due to the national bank holiday, according to advice from NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group.

However an Out of Hours GP service will be in place to support patients across the city – simply contact NHS 111 if you need any urgent medical advice or care over the bank holiday.

If you have a pre-booked appointment due to take place on this date, a member of your healthcare team will be in touch with you directly if there’s any change to your care.

Pharmacies, medication and dental treatment

Some local pharmacies may have different opening hours during a bank holiday. Look at ‘find a pharmacy’ on the NHS website for an open local pharmacy.

If you need urgent dental treatment this bank holiday, contact your regular dentist, if you cannot contact your dentist use NHS 111 online for information about your local out of hours service.

Plan and pre-order medication

The NHS suggests that by restocking medicine cabinets, knowing when your GP practice is open, and planning ahead for repeat prescriptions, you can ensure you have everything you need ahead of the bank holiday weekend.

You can order your medication using the NHS App, or through a GP practice, which may also have an online service.

For all other urgent health needs over the bank holiday, contact NHS111 online at www.111.nhs.uk or by phoning 111.