Public holidays
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Public holiday dates 2025-26 for NHS Highland.
Opening times for your local GP practice and pharmacy may be different to normal on these days.
- Dates apply to all NHS Highland GPs and health staff in both the Highland area and the Argyll and Bute area, unless shown otherwise.
- GP practice holidays are taken by GPs only, not practice staff.
- Helensburgh GP practices in the Argyll and Bute area take NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde holidays, which may be different.
Important: Monday 21st July 2025 public holiday
Monday 21st July 2025 is a public holiday for GP practices in the Argyll and Bute Council area only. Opening times for your local GP practice may be different to normal.
Important: Be prepared for a public holiday
There are things you can do to prepare, when some NHS services are closed or have different opening hours on public holidays.
- check opening times before visiting a GP or pharmacy, if you don't have an appointment
- pick up your prescriptions in advance
- keep basic over-the-counter remedies at home to help with common seasonal illnesses and injuries:
- bites, stings, sunburn and hay fever
- cold and flu
- for health advice, try the symptom checkers on NHS inform or the free NHS 24 app
- speak to your local pharmacy for expert help
- know who to turn to for more serious conditions
2025-26 NHS Highland public holiday dates
- Friday 18th April 2025
Good Friday - Monday 21st April 2025
Easter Monday: only Argyll and Bute area and Highland GP practices - Monday 5th May 2025
Early May Bank Holiday - Monday 26th May 2025
May holiday: only Argyll and Bute GP practices - Friday 4th July 2025
July holiday: only Highland GP practices - Monday 21st July 2025
July holiday: only Argyll and Bute GP practices - Monday 4th August 2025
Summer Bank Holiday: only Highland area - Monday 29th September 2025
Autumn Bank Holiday: only Argyll and Bute area - Friday 17th October 2025
Autumn Bank Holiday: only Highland area - Thursday 25th December 2025
Christmas Day - Friday 26th December 2025
Boxing Day - Thursday 1st January 2026
New Year's Day - Friday 2nd January 2026
Public Holiday
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