With GP practices being closed on Monday 26 May 2025, Ayrshire and Arran residents are being urged to check who to turn to if they need advice or support to cope with any common health concerns.
Some community pharmacists will remain open during this period and can answer questions on choosing and using the right medicine and provide easy-to-understand advice on treating everyday ailments. NHS 24 also has a number of pharmacists who are able to answer medicine and pharmacy-related questions over the telephone on 111 or visit NHS inform (http://www.nhsinform.scot.) for valuable advice on how to prepare.
Roisin Kavanagh, Director of Pharmacy, explains: “You can do a number of things to make sure you are prepared to deal with common illnesses over the holiday period. Having a sufficient supply of medicines like paracetamol, sore throat and cough remedies will help to relieve the symptoms of common ailments.
“If you take regular medication, you should check your existing supplies and only order what you need to see you through the bank holiday. It is also a good idea to make sure you know when your local GP practice and community pharmacy are closed. Please also take into consideration the time required by your local GP practice and community pharmacy for processing prescription requests as this can take up to seven days”.
Under the Pharmacy First service, pharmacies can:
- prescribe medication for you following a consultation*;
- treat many women from age 16 for urinary tract infections*;
- treat many patients for impetigo*;
- treat patients over 18 for skin infections including infected insect*;
- treat patients over 18 for shingles*;
(*where they meet certain criteria)
Many community pharmacies also:
- provide your repeat prescriptions when your GP is not available (under certain circumstances);
- give women advice and supply emergency hormonal contraception;
- dispense prescriptions;
- give advice, support and where appropriate, prescribe nicotine replacement therapy to those giving up smoking;
- hold records of your medicines to ensure that the safety of any future medication is checked;
- provide a private area to discuss sensitive issues;
- give you advice over the telephone;
- give you advice on the best way to take your medicines;
- provide advice on travel health;
- provide collection and delivery of prescriptions;
- supervised methadone supply; and
- needle exchange.
Monday 26 May 2025
All pharmacies will be closed, except:
East Ayrshire:
- Boots Pharmacy, 62/70 King Street, Kilmarnock from 12noon – 4pm
- Deans Pharmacy, 53 MacPhail Drive, Kilmarnock from 9am – 6pm
- E Templeton, 14 Dean Street, Kilmarnock from 11am – 1pm
- Well Pharmacy, 1/5 Loudon Street, Mauchline from 9am – 6pm
- Right Medicine Pharmacy, 90 Main Street, Ochiltree from 9am – 1pm and 2pm – 5.30pm
North Ayrshire:
- Arran Pharmacy, Brodick, Isle of Arran from 9am – 1pm
- Well Pharmacy, 18/20 Main Street, Beith from 9am – 6pm
- Davidsons Chemists, 25 Main Street, Dreghorn from 9am – 1pm and 2pm – 5.30pm
- Boots Pharmacy, 1 Fullarton Square, Irvine from 11am – 5pm
- JS Shergill, 36 Caldon Road, Irvine from 12noon – 2pm
- Halliday Pharmacy, 5 Aitken Street, Largs from 8.30am – 4pm
- Superdrug, 6B Aitken Street, Largs from 9am – 5pm
- Cumbrae Pharmacy, 30 Stuart Street, Millport from 9am – 1pm and 1.30pm – 5.30pm
- Care Pharmacy, 55 Main Street, Springside from 10am – 12noon
South Ayrshire:
- Boots Pharmacy, 168/170 High Street, Ayr from 12noon – 4pm
- Well Pharmacy, 10/12 Sandgate, Ayr from 8.30am – 5.30pm
- Ogg & Co, 44 Newmarket Street, Ayr from 2pm – 4pm
Click here for Bank Holiday Opening Times – NHS Ayrshire & Arran