Christmas NHS Advice and Support | East London NHS Foundation Trust

For those with repeat prescriptions, it is important to make sure you are well stocked going into the Christmas period.

Christmas is the busiest time of year for NHS services. To prevent becoming low on supply for your medical conditions; please order your prescriptions as early as possible.

NHS 111 phone lines tend to see a large increase in patients calling about their prescriptions during a bank holiday. Christmas is no different – in fact, it significantly outweighs every other holiday.

Hours are likely to be shortened for pharmacies and GP surgeries throughout the Christmas period, so it will be more challenging than usual to access medication at short notice.

We would advise that you speak with your GP surgery to find out how far in advance you should reorder any prescriptions.

Are you not quite sure who to speak to about certain health concerns during the busy Christmas period? You can find answers below.

Our communities in east London, Bedfordshire and Luton should be aware of whom to contact, when and for what issues during the festive period. This can help to support individuals as efficiently as possible.

Pharmacies
Pharmacists, who are experts in medicines, can support minor health concerns. Not only can they provide over-the-counter medicines for coughs, colds, aches and pains, but also clinical advice for questions you may have.

If you are unsure where your nearest pharmacy is, check out the NHS England website and enter your postcode. It is important to double-check their opening hours during this period to avoid being left without the support you need.

NHS 111
For medical help right in the moment, the NHS’s Freephone ‘111’ number is available. Fully trained call handlers can advise about a range of conditions and suggest appropriate next steps.

As a first port of call, look at the NHS 111 website. Online advice includes:

Mental health support
Dental queries
Help for injuries and/or symptoms
Medicinal and/or prescription information
Support for an existing medical condition

Accident and Emergency (A&E) should be a very last resort. This is only for very serious injuries and life-threatening conditions, so please do think about using the above alternatives.

For full information about all of ELFT’s services, please look at the ‘Service search’ page on our website.

The Trust has lots of advice and resources to help those who may not be feeling festive over the Christmas period. Take a look below.

The festive period is just around the corner, giving an opportunity for our communities across east London, Bedfordshire and Luton to reconnect with loved ones and reflect on the year gone by.

However, it is important to acknowledge that not everybody will be feeling the Christmas spirit. Some may not have the opportunity to be with those closest to them, and others could be struggling with the rising cost of living. These feelings are very normal.

If you are in need of urgent mental health crisis support over Christmas, our 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Hub will be on hand to help. Whether you live in east London, Bedfordshire or Luton, you can call NHS 111 and select option ‘2’ for mental health support, provided by colleagues who are familiar with the needs of the local community.

This is a personalised service, and is available for British Sign Language (BSL) users via SignVideo, a computer, smartphone or tablet app to make a video call to a BSL interpreter. Service users who do not speak English can request an interpreter by informing the operator when calling NHS 111. This also applies if someone is calling on their behalf.

There are also other ways to access mental health support over Christmas via our partners:

Call Samaritans – 116 123
Text SHOUT to 85258
Mind’s list of useful contacts over the festive period

Cost of living support is also available. At the East London NHS Foundation Trust, we provide advice and tips on our website, as well as access to free and low cost resources across east London, Bedfordshire and Luton.

The increasing cost of living has put a financial strain on many of our communities. Take a look below at resources and cost saving tips over the festive period.

While Christmas provides an opportunity to relax and spend much-needed downtime with family and friends, many will be thinking about financial difficulties they’re facing.

With this in mind, Cost of Living colleagues in our People Participation team have put together some handy advice to cut costs and alleviate financial stress.

Food shopping
It’s easy to end up buying a lot more at the supermarket than you will need. Plan ahead by meal planning and making a shopping list to avoid overspending.

Consider the overall number of people who will be eating at your home, and how much food they will need. Supermarkets increase food prices by up-selling with attractive Christmas packaging, and the addition of extra ingredients to make it sound indulgent and entice you to spend more. Compare with products in regular packaging and see how much you can save.

Cards, presents and gift wrapping
The cost of sending Christmas cards is very expensive due to high stamp prices. Aside from anyone who is digitally excluded and would appreciate a card through the post, save money by sending digital greetings, such as a Zoom call or a digital message. If you are giving Christmas or New Year cards, charity shop cards are cheapest.

You can reduce Christmas spending without the stigma of trying to hide that money is tight by agreeing with friends or family to limit spending on gifts to a small, affordable amount per person, or agree to buy presents just for children.

Buying tissue paper, ribbons, tags, decorative paper, and gift bags to wrap presents is another added cost. Reduce this expenditure by saving anything suitable from packaged purchases or wrapped gifts you receive during the year, and recycle these to wrap Christmas gifts. If you or your children are into arts and crafts, try making your own gift wrappings using online YouTube instructions or by attending free community sessions in your local area.

TIP: You can save on the cost of festive home decorations by getting crafty and making these too.

Borough-specific support
Partner organisations provide lots of help and events to support residents during this busy time of year:

City and Hackney:

Newham and Tower Hamlets:

For more advice and tips on how to save on household bills and food costs this Christmas, take a look at the Trust’s ‘Support during the cost of living crisis’ webpage.