Bank Holiday Cover
Pharmacy Bank Holiday opening hours – Christmas and New Year 2026:
The ICB have circulated a letter and form for completion to all pharmacies regarding the opening hours for the 2026 Christmas and New Year Bank Holidays, a copy of which can be accessed below:
Letter Re Intention to open V3
Bank Holiday Form for completion
Please action accordingly by Friday, 23rd October 2026.
Current directions to open over the Bank Holiday period are detailed below, pharmacies are advised to check if their pharmacy is directed to open:
ERY ICB Xmas 2026 current directions
Hull ICB Xmas 2026 current directions
NEL ICB Xmas 2026 current directions
NL ICB Xmas 2026 current directions
Please note: Saturday, 26th December 2026 falls on a normal contractual working day and is therefore considered part of your pharmacy’s core opening hours. CPE published some guidance to contractors in relation to bank holidays and normal working days for 2026/27 here:
Please follow the further instructions section below to ensure that your DoS & NHS UK profiles are up to date and that you claim for any directed hours etc…
Further Instructions:
- Please update your DoS & NHS UK Profiles accordingly (Please note: if you do not add hours for a bank holiday it will default to your normal opening hours)
- Ensure staff on duty have access to all IT systems and NHS shared mailboxes necessary.
- If closed – use the template on the link below to notify patients of the nearest open pharmacy.
- If directed to open – remember to claim the directed 1 or 2 hours via the PharmOutcomes platform. Please note: if you have to remain open for longer than the designated 1 or 2 hours allocated to complete a pharmaceutical service to patients, please add this to the notes section on PharmOutcomes and keep evidence so the ICB can assess if an additional payment is necessary or directed rota need to be extended.
Pharmacy Opening Notification Template
NHS Profile Manager tool:
A new tool, NHS Profile Manager, has launched to help community pharmacy contractors to update their pharmacy’s details more easily in the NHS 111 Directory of Services (DoS) and on the NHS website.
Previously, contractors needed to use two different NHS systems to ensure these details were up-to-date: the NHS website profile editor and the DoS Profile Updater. However, both of these systems have now been replaced by the new NHS Profile Manager.
CPE:
For additional information on opening hours including closures, temp closures, and forms, please visit the CPE website.
Directions to Open
For those pharmacies who have been directed to open, please submit your claims using the platform on PharmOutcomes.
