Everyone’s hoping for a happy, healthy and safe festive season here in Galston - but just in case, we’ve put together all the information you need about doctors, pharmacies and local council services over the Christmas and New Year period.

Many East Ayrshire council services will be closed from Saturday 24^th December until Wednesday 4^th January, but emergency contacts will be available throughout.

There will be no recycling or refuse collections on either Monday 26 December 2011 or Monday 2 January 2012.  

Instead, all bins/boxes due to be uplifted on a Monday will be collected on either Tuesday or Wednesday of each week.  

Please place your scheduled containers at the kerbside  by 6.30am on the Tuesday of each week. As collection crews will work longer than normal on the Tuesday and Wednesday of each week to catch up with the Monday collections, please leave your container at the kerbside until it is emptied.

Your anticipated collection date can be viewed by accessing the Christmas Catch up Arrangements pdf under online forms on the East Ayrshire website.

Scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday collections are unaffected by the above arrangements and residents are advised to place their containers at the kerbside as normal.   

In addition those residents who receive a Monday food/plastics collection should present their containers on Tuesday 27 December 2011 and Tuesday 7 January 2012.

You can find full details of all the council closures, service and emergency contacts here on the East Ayrshire website.

If you have a medical emergency over the festive holiday, Ayrshire and Arran’s community pharmacies can help you battle the winter blues with a healthy dose of good advice.

Community pharmacists can answer questions on choosing and using the right medicine and provide easy-to-understand advice on treating everyday ailments such as coughs, colds and flu. NHS 24 also has a number of community pharmacists who are able to answer medicine and pharmacy-related questions over the telephone on 08454 24 24 24.

The public can also do a number of things to ensure they are prepared to deal with common illnesses for the coming months.

Have a sufficient supply of medicines like paracetamol, sore throat and cough remedies, as these will help to relieve the symptoms of common winter ailments. People who take regular medication should ensure they have enough to see them through the weekends, public holidays and holidays away from home.

What your community pharmacist can do

If you qualify for the Minor Ailments Service your community pharmacist may prescribe medication for you following a consultation

Give you advice on the best way to take your medicines

Give women advice and supply emergency hormonal contraception

Dispense prescriptions

Give advice on diet and exercise

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

Many pharmacies also offer

Advice on travel health

Pregnancy testing

Collection and delivery of prescriptions

Oxygen supply

Supervised methadone supply

Needle exchange

Over Christmas, GP practices will be closed for four days at Christmas (Saturday 24 December – Tuesday 27 December) and will re-open on Wednesday 28 December. During this time, people can still get advice from their community pharmacist.  The following pharmacies are open during the festive holidays.

Saturday 24 December 2011

All pharmacies will open and close at their normal Saturday opening times.

Sunday 25 December 2011

Lloyds Pharmacy, 16 Central Avenue, Kilmarnock, 11am – 1pm

Morrisons, West Langlands Street, Kilmarnock, 1pm – 3pm

Monday 26 December 2011

Boots the Chemist, 62/70 King Street, Kilmarnock, 10am – 5pm

Boots UK Ltd, 5 Burns Precinct, Kilmarnock, 12 noon – 4pm

Tuesday 27 December 2011

Boots the Chemist, 62/70 King Street, Kilmarnock, 10am – 5pm

Boots UK Ltd, 5 Burns Precinct, Kilmarnock, 12 noon – 4pm

Morrisons, West Langlangs Street, Kilmarnock, 9am – 6pm

Bellfield Pharmacy, 89 Whatriggs Road, Kilmarnock, 10am – 2pm

If you need a doctor urgently and your GP’s surgery is closed, call NHS 24 on 08454 24 24 24.

For emergency dental treatment, call NHS 24 on 08454 24 24 24

Merry Christmas and a happy new year from everyone here at s1! Share your messages, news and festive greetings here on s1galston