Christmas & New Year Bank Holidays 2025-26 – Please submit your opening hours intentions by 20th July 2025
In accordance with the Pharmaceutical Regulations, we are collating the detail of pharmaceutical provision during the Christmas & New Year Bank Holidays 2025-26 bank holiday period to ensure adequate coverage across the region. This information will also be communicated to the public, NHS 111 and the Out of Hours services.
Please inform us of your opening hour declarations on the Christmas & New Year Bank Holidays 2025-26, to enable us to ensure that there is adequate pharmaceutical cover and inform all relevant stakeholders and the general public which pharmacies will be open.
At this stage we are asking about intentions to open (outside of any Enhanced Service arrangement).
Depending on the responses received, we will ask separately about willingness to open under the Enhanced Service (paid).
Please could you complete the online declaration via the link below no later than Sunday 20th July.
If you plan to be closed on all the bank holiday dates, please still submit a declaration response.
click here to submit your opening hours declaration
For clarity the Winter 2025-2026 expectations for pharmacies are as follows:
| Christmas Eve | Wednesday | 24/12/25 | Normal Working Day | If you wish to open at different times on this day, you must submit the relevant form, please see below for more detail. |
| Christmas Day | Thursday | 25/12/25 | Public Holiday | Pharmacies to declare if they will be closed or their intended opening times |
| Boxing Day | Friday | 26/12/25 | Bank Holiday | Pharmacies to declare if they will be closed or their intended opening times |
| New Year’s Eve | Wednesday | 31/12/25 | Normal Working Day | If you wish to open at different times on this day, you must submit the relevant form, please see below for more detail. |
| New Year’s Day | Thursday | 01/01/26 | Bank Holiday | Pharmacies to declare if they will be closed or their intended opening times |
Changes to Supplementary or Core Hours
Contractors may notify us of a change to their supplementary or apply to change core opening hours under their terms of service as set out in the Regulations.
If you wish to notify a temporary change, please complete the relevant form (link below)
Link to forms [double check links still work]
Change to hours forms can be accessed here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/primary-care/pharmacy/pharmacy-manual/pharmacy-template-forms/
Please submit change to hours forms to: frimleyicb.southeastcommunitypharmacy@nhs.net
Please note that any variation to contractual opening hours, without prior consent or notification, will be deemed a breach of terms of service. Performance related sanctions, as directed within the 2013 Regulations, may be imposed where a breach occurs.
Further information
Further information and guidance on opening hour’s regulation can be found on the Community Pharmacy England website:
https://cpe.org.uk/?s=opening+hours&post_type=all
Your Local Pharmaceutical Committee will also be able to provide further advise to you.
LPC Online – Portal for LPC websites (lpc-online.org.uk)
