PEOPLE are being reminded not to call 999 over Christmas period unless absolutely necessary, but to call the 111 service for out of hours care.

Doctors’ surgeries and chemists will be open as normal from 8am-6.30pm Monday to Friday except on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, so people are being asked to make calls to their normal GPs outside of the bank holidays if they require an appointment.

Surgeries who provide extended hours services on Saturdays will only be seeing patients with pre-booked appointments.

Out-of-hours services will be provided on 111 by Medvivo outside of the surgeries’ core opening hours and on bank holidays but this service must only be used for urgent care needs to prevent an unnecessary strain on emergency services.

Chemists in Morrisons and Boots in Devizes will be open from 10-4pm on Christmas Eve and 10am-4pm on Boxing Day while Northlands Surgery chemist in Calne will be open from 8am-9pm on Christmas Eve.

Chemists open in Chippenham will be Boots from 10am-4pm on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, Lloyds from 9am-10pm and 10am-4pm on Boxing Day, Morrisons from 10am-4pm on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, and Sainsbury’s from 10am-4pm on Christmas Eve and 8am-5pm on Boxing Day.

Boots in Corsham will provide a Christmas Day service from 11am-12pm as will Shaunaks from 12-2pm.

Lloyds Chemists in Melksham will be open from 10am-4pm on Christmas Eve and 9am-5pm on Boxing Day, while Asda, Melksham will be open from 10am-4pm on Christmas Eve and 9am-6pm on Boxing Day.

In Trowbridge, Boots will be open from 10am-4.30pm on Christmas Eve and 6.30-midnight on Boxing Day and Superdrug will be open from 10am-4pm on Christmas Eve. Aside from also being open from 10-4pm on Christmas Eve, Tesco will also open their chemists on Christmas Day from 11am-1pm.

In Warminster, Boots will be open from 10am-4pm on both Christmas Eve and Boxing Day while Shaunaks in Westbury will host a Christmas Day service from 3-5pm.

Anyone requiring urgent dentistry treatment can visit Chippenham Hospital from 10am-1pm on Christmas Eve, 9.30am-12.30pm on Christmas Day, 1-4pm on Boxing Day, 10am-1pm on New Year’s Eve and 1-4pm on New Year’s Day, otherwise appointments can be made with ordinary dentist surgeries outside of bank holidays.

Anyone without a regular dentist who requires urgent dentistry treatment should call 111.

To checking opening hours of surgeries, chemists and dentists over the festive period visit or call the surgeries directly.