Bank Holiday Opening (including out of hours opening)

For the up to date opening hours of community pharmacies please see the link below:

NHS England — South West » Pharmacy opening hours

August Bank Holiday 2026

• Torbay
• South Hams & West Devon
• Teignbridge
• Plymouth
• North Devon
• Mid Devon
• Exeter
• East Devon
• Distance Selling
• August BH 2026 activity form after 5pm
• Bank holiday monitoring form
• 31 August 2026 Bank Hol hours poster template v1.0

Pharmacy Opening Hours: Bank Holidays 2026 and 2027

Community Pharmacy England has published guidance on pharmacy opening requirements during bank holidays for the remainder of 2026 and throughout 2027.

Key dates to note

Bank holidays in 2026 include Easter Monday (6 April), Early May Bank Holiday (4 May), Spring Bank Holiday (25 May), Summer Bank Holiday (31 August) and the Boxing Day substitute bank holiday (28 December).

In 2027, bank holidays include New Year’s Day (1 January), Easter Monday (29 March), Early May Bank Holiday (3 May), Spring Bank Holiday (31 May), Summer Bank Holiday (30 August), and the Christmas and Boxing Day substitute bank holidays on 27 and 28 December.

Can pharmacies close on bank holidays?

Yes. Pharmacies may close on Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and designated bank holidays without needing to apply to change their core contractual hours, unless they have been specifically directed to open by their Integrated Care Board (ICB).
Importantly, when Boxing Day or New Year’s Day falls on a weekend and is not itself a bank holiday, it is treated as a normal working day. Pharmacies must therefore open for any scheduled core and supplementary hours on those dates unless approved changes have been made.

Keeping profiles up to date

Pharmacy owners are reminded that NHS website and Directory of Services (DoS) profiles must be kept accurate and reviewed at least once every quarter. This includes updating opening hours for bank holidays and other public holidays. Early updates are encouraged to support patient access and local service planning.

Changes to opening hours

Any reduction in supplementary opening hours requires at least five weeks’ notice to the ICB. Changes to core opening hours require a formal application and approval process, with implementation only possible after the required notice period.

Supporting local service planning

Pharmacies are encouraged to notify their ICB of their intended opening arrangements for bank holidays as early as possible. This helps ensure adequate local pharmacy coverage and may reduce the need for ICBs to direct pharmacies to open during holiday periods.

Sunday opening including late night opening

The opening hours of all pharmacies can be found on NHS Choices follow the link below;

https://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Pharmacy/LocationSearch/10