Public Holiday on Friday 8 May 2020

All Health Centres and GP Practices in the Borders will be open for the public holiday on Friday 8 May 2020.

GP practices in the Borders have suspended their usual appointment booking arrangements to help protect patients and staff.

Practices and treatment rooms continue to provide services via telephone triaging and, where absolutely necessary, via face to face appointment for patients who require urgent clinical attention.

You should not attend your GP practice unless advised to do so by your GP following telephone triage.

If you require urgent care for a minor injury that you cannot self-care for please contact your GP practice or NHS 24 on 111 if your GP practice is closed.

Some community pharmacies will be open for the public holiday on Friday 8 May 2020. For information on your local pharmacy opening hours please click here.

Community Pharmacies across the Borders continue to operate, dispensing prescriptions and providing self-care advice and over the counter medicines to the Borders public. Please be considerate when attending your local pharmacy; if you have been told to self-isolate or if you have symptoms of coronavirus (new continuous cough and/or high temp of 37.8°C or greater) please do not go into the pharmacy yourself but stay at home and make arrangements for either someone else to pick up your medication or ask your pharmacy to have your prescription delivered to your home, as you may unintentionally be putting yourself, Pharmacy staff and others at unnecessary risk.

What to do if you have symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Anyone with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, however mild, should self-isolate for 7 days.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are recent onset of:

• New continuous cough and/or
• Fever / high temperature (37.8C or greater)

If your symptoms worsen during home isolation or are no better after 7 days then you should phone NHS 24 on 111. You should no longer call your GP practice regarding Coronavirus symptoms. If the NHS 24 healthcare professional you speak to via 111 deems that you require further clinical assessment following their triage over the phone, you will be directed to the appropriate care locally.

If you need a sick note due to coronavirus, please don’t contact your GP or NHS 24. You can download a sick/isolation note directly from the NHS Inform website.

Full guidance and information is available on NHS Inform’s coronavirus page.