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​It has been confirmed that all General Practices will close for the upcoming Bank Holiday Monday in preparation for the Queen’s funeral.

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The Royal Proclamation has agreed to close GP surgeries on Monday the 19th of September, the day of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

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It confirms while Practices are allowed to close, they must ensure that out-of-hours care is still provided to the public throughout the day.

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The letter sent to NHS Services also confirms the continuation of any planned Covid Boosters, specifically taking place in care homes. It is “strongly encouraged” for GPs that have planned vaccine clinics to remain open, particularly where there is high demand and population.

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Details of the letter are as follows, “GP Practices will be contractually able to close on this day for their core services as it is a confirmed bank holiday.

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“ICBs will need to urgently work to ensure sufficient out-of-hours (Integrated Urgent Care) services capacity is in place during what would have been core hours to meet patients’ urgent primary medical care needs.”

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It was added that all Practices “must ensure that all patients are notified of any cancellations and rescheduling of appointments” and patients are “fully informed of the arrangements.”

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Additionally, encouraging that Practices will need to make effort to reschedule pre-booked appointments as well as repeat prescriptions, if possible in advance of the bank holiday.

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It has been estimated that Millions of visitors are expected to be in attendance at the Queen’s funeral.

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The letter continued to add, "The organisation should have a method of identifying overseas visitors, including foreign dignitaries and VIPs, and have plans to manage these patients, and ensure that those not entitled to free health care at the point of use are charged appropriately."

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Even with the continuation of closures throughout the public health service, we as an agency will operate throughout the bank holiday and services will be available for those looking for healthcare shifts including Nursing, Midwifery, Healthcare Assistants, Doctors, Theatre Staff, etc.

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