The Department of Health is encouraging everyone to look after themselves, both physically and mentally over this Christmas and New Year period.
As the holiday season approaches, there are a number of health and social care services available. If you or some of your family members feel unwell, it is important, to choose the service most appropriate to your symptoms, so you can get better quicker.
Health and Social Care Trusts, GPs, Pharmacists and Dentists have arrangements in place should you or a member of your family become ill or require urgent care over the Christmas and the New Year holiday period.
Treatment for a range of minor illnesses and injuries is available through services such as the Pharmacy First service in Community Pharmacies, Minor Injuries Units, GPs (including out of hours) and local opticians. You can also access advice on managing common mild illnesses using the NI Direct A-Z symptom checker (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/
For more serious illness and injury, you may be able to avoid or reduce waiting time at Emergency Departments unnecessarily by using the Phone First Service before travelling. When you contact the Phone First service (https://online.hscni.
In the event of a life-threatening emergency, always dial 999.
Please be aware of when and where you can access available services in your area and keep the contact numbers you might need to hand. Please also make use of the information available on the NI Direct and HSC websites and ensure you have all the medication you will need over the holiday period.
Self-care is the best choice to treat most minor illnesses, ailments and injuries. A range of common illnesses such as aches and pains, colds, upset stomachs and sore throats can be treated with over the counter medicines and plenty of rest.
Prescriptions
Always remember to order your repeat prescriptions prior to your GP practice closing for the holidays.
Community Pharmacy
Your community pharmacist can offer advice and treatment for common conditions, recommend treatment and refer patients to other healthcare professionals as appropriate.
The Pharmacy First service is available at participating community pharmacies across Northern Ireland. If you have an everyday health condition, a sore throat, shingles, Urinary Tract Infection or require Emergency Hormonal Contraception, you can use the Pharmacy First service to get advice and treatment without waiting for an appointment to see your GP.
More information on Pharmacy First is available on the HSC NI website: https://online.hscni.
Over the Christmas and New Year bank holidays, Pharmacies will operate on a rota basis. The rota is available at on the BSO website: https://bso.hscni.net/
GP opening hours over Christmas and New Year
GP practices (https://www.
GP practices will be closed on Thursday 25 December 2025, Friday 26th December 2025 and Thursday 1 January 2026.
GP Out of Hours
This service is for urgent medical care when your GP surgery is closed, including on weekends and bank holidays. Find your local GP out of hours service on NI Direct: https://www.nidirect.
Urgent Care Centres and Minor Injury Units
Minor Injury Units can treat injuries that are not critical or life threatening, such as:
- injuries to upper and lower limbs
- broken bones (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/
conditions/broken-bones- fractures), sprains (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/ conditions/sprains-and-strains ) , bruises and wounds - bites – human, animal (www.nidirect.gov.uk/
conditions/animal-and-human- bites) and insect (www.nidirect.gov.uk/ conditions/insect-bites-and- stings) - burns and scalds (www.nidirect.gov.uk/
conditions/burns-and-scalds) - abscesses and wound infections
- minor head injuries (www.nidirect.gov.uk/
conditions/minor-head-injury) - broken noses and nosebleeds (www.nidirect.gov.uk/
conditions/nosebleed) - foreign bodies in the eyes and nose
Some Minor Injuries Units are operating a Phone First service. Before you attend please check your local services on NI Direct: https://www.nidirect.
Emergency Departments
Emergency Departments (https://www.
For all emergencies that are life threatening, always call 999 immediately. This can include: Stroke, heart attack, loss of consciousness, breathing difficulties, severe bleeding or major trauma.
Out of Hours Dental Services
For out of hours urgent dental problems, patients should ring their own dental practice in the first instance. The practice will outline their out-of-hours arrangements or advise you to contact the Emergency Dental Clinic directly.
If patients are not registered with a dentist, they can find out more at Emergency Dental Services (https://online.hscni.net/our-
Emergency Dental Clinics (EDCs)
Patients can only normally only contact EDCs on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Over the Christmas and New Year holidays the EDCs will operate on the following dates:
• Thursday 25 December 2025
• Friday 26 December 2025
• Saturday 27 December 2025
• Sunday 28 December 2025
• Thursday 01 January 2026
Tel: 028 2566 3510 (Telephone lines are open from 8.00am to 12 noon).
Telephone calls will be directed to a dentist for triage and if deemed clinically necessary, advice or treatment at an EDC will be provided for the following dental conditions:
• dental swelling (spreading infection).
• trauma to teeth arising from an external force.
• uncontrolled bleeding following extraction.
• severe dental pain not controlled by over the counter medications.
Please note – as there is high demand for out-of-hours appointments patients may have to travel outside their area for treatment slots. Patients should not attend any site without an arranged appointment.
Urgent eye care
If you have an urgent eye problem during the holiday period, including:
• sudden red eye
• sudden pain or discomfort in the eyes, around the eye area
• recent, sudden reduction in vision in one or both eyes
• recent onset or sudden increase of flashes and/or floaters in one or both eyes
• something in your eye that you cannot get out
Please contact your local Optometrist in the first instance.
If your Optometry practice is closed and your eye problem is very urgent and cannot wait until normal opening hours, please contact your local Phone First service or nearest Hospital (https://www.
Out of hours Regional Emergency Social Work Service
This service is for emergencies requiring a social work response that cannot wait until the next working day.
Contact the Regional Emergency Social Work Service on Tel: 0800 197 9995.
Mental health emergency
For mental health (https://www.nidirect.
