Christmas and New Year Healthcare Services in Monmouthshire:

GP surgeries will be closed on Friday, December 25th, and will re-open on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009. Over the New Year period GP surgeries will be closed on Friday, January 1st, 2010, and will re-open on Monday, January 4th, 2010.

Patients are reminded to check that their supplies of medicines are not going to run out over the Christmas and New Year period as many avoidable calls are made to the GP Out of Hours service due to people running out of their medicines.

The GP Out of Hours service will be caring for over half a million people across the Gwent area, so it is important that this service is only used when a patient needs to see a doctor urgently and cannot wait until the next working day.

The telephone number for the Out of Hours service is 0845 600 1231.

If you believe your situation to be a medical emergency you will need to contact the emergency services by dialling 999. A medical emergency is a critical or life threatening situation where treatment in an Accident and Emergency (A&E) department is required.

It is sometimes difficult to decide whether to go to an A&E department, so if you are unsure and need advice please contact NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

Pharmacies:

The local pharmacies will operate on a rota basis for a limited period of time on 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th December 2009 and 1 January 2010. At all other times normal hours will apply.