Fast answer
Pharmacy open? Go there. A pharmacist can make an emergency supply of a medicine you already take — no prescription needed.
Nothing open, or the pharmacist cannot help? NHS 111 online or call 111. Both run 24 hours a day, every day, including bank holidays.
Symptoms, not just a missing box? If you are unwell because of the missed medicine, say so — that changes the route. Call 999 for anything severe.
What is actually open, and what each can do
| Where | When | What it can do |
|---|---|---|
| A community pharmacy | Some open evenings and weekends; check the NHS find a pharmacy service | Make an emergency supply of a medicine you already take, within the legal limits. Cannot supply most controlled drugs. |
| NHS 111 online / 111 by phone | 24 hours, every day | Assess urgency and arrange the route — a referral to an open pharmacy, or to an out-of-hours prescriber. Does not dispense medicine itself. |
| Out-of-hours GP service | Evenings, nights, weekends, bank holidays | A clinician can assess you and issue a prescription, including for medicines a pharmacist cannot supply. Reached through 111 or your surgery's answerphone. |
| Urgent treatment centre | Varies locally; many open extended hours | Assessment and, where appropriate, a prescription. Best when you need to be seen, not just supplied. |
| A&E / 999 | Always | Emergencies only — for example a seizure, chest pain, breathing difficulty, or a clinician telling you to attend. |
The order to try things, on a normal evening
- Check whether any pharmacy near you is still open using the NHS find a pharmacy service, then phone to confirm before travelling.
- Go and ask for an emergency supply. Take the box, label or repeat slip. Say when the next dose is due.
- If nothing is open, or the answer is no, use 111 online — usually faster than the phone for a straightforward repeat-medicine request — or call 111 if it is complicated or you are worried.
- Follow where 111 sends you. If it refers you to a pharmacy, that pharmacy is expecting you and it is an NHS supply, so normal charges and exemptions apply.
Skip straight to step 3 if your medicine is a controlled drug — a pharmacy cannot make an emergency supply of ADHD stimulants, strong opioids, pregabalin or gabapentin on your request, so you need a prescriber. See emergency supply and controlled drugs.
The bank-holiday trap
Bank holidays are the hardest time to fix a medicine problem, and the reason is not just that surgeries are closed. Wholesaler deliveries pause too. The pharmacy's usual answer — "we haven't got it today, but we can order it for tomorrow morning" — may not be available across a long weekend, so a gap that would normally last a day can last four.
If a bank holiday weekend is coming and you are running low, sort it on the last working day.
- Order repeat prescriptions early — allow more time than usual for the surgery and the pharmacy.
- Count what you have. If you will not last until the surgery reopens, say so when you order.
- Check your pharmacy's holiday hours, and find a second one that is open.
- If your medicine is in a national shortage, expect it to take longer — check the stock checker before the weekend, not during it.
Away from home, or travelling
The rules are the same anywhere in the UK: any pharmacy can consider an emergency supply, not only the one that usually dispenses for you. Without your usual pharmacy's record, evidence matters more — carry the box, the dispensing label, or your medicines list in the NHS App. If you are away for more than a few days, our guide on travelling with medication covers planning ahead.
What not to do while you wait
- Do not split, crush, stretch or double doses to make a supply last, unless a pharmacist or prescriber has confirmed it is safe for that medicine.
- Do not take someone else's medicine, even if the name on the box matches.
- Do not buy prescription-only medicine from an unregulated website to bridge a weekend.
- Do not simply stop a medicine you have been told not to stop. If you cannot get it, that is the thing to tell 111.
Questions people ask
How do I get an emergency prescription out of hours?
If a pharmacy is open, go there and ask for an emergency supply of the medicine you already take. If none are open, use NHS 111 online or call 111 — both run around the clock. NHS 111 will either refer you to an open pharmacy for an urgent supply, or send you to an out-of-hours GP service or urgent treatment centre where a prescriber can assess you.
Where can I get a prescription out of hours?
Out-of-hours GP services, urgent treatment centres and, in some cases, clinicians working within NHS 111 services can issue prescriptions outside normal surgery hours. You reach all of them through NHS 111 rather than by turning up. A community pharmacist can also make an emergency supply of a medicine you already take, which does not need a prescription at all.
Are any pharmacies open late or on Sunday?
Yes, though far fewer than on a weekday. The NHS find a pharmacy service lists opening hours, including late and weekend openings. Phone before travelling — published hours occasionally change at short notice, especially on bank holidays.
What if my GP surgery is closed?
The surgery's answerphone should explain how to reach the out-of-hours service for your area. NHS 111 covers it in every case. Do not wait until the surgery reopens if a dose you have been told not to miss falls due before then.
Can I get an emergency supply on a bank holiday?
Yes, but plan for it being harder. Surgeries close, many pharmacies close or run reduced hours, and wholesaler deliveries pause — so a pharmacy that could normally order your medicine for the next morning may not be able to. If a bank holiday weekend is coming and you are running low, sort it before the last working day.
Should I go to A&E for a prescription out of hours?
Only if the medicine problem has become a medical emergency, or a clinician has told you to attend. A&E is not a route for routine repeat prescriptions, and you will usually wait a long time for something a pharmacy or 111 could have handled faster.
Related pages
Emergency supply: the full guide
Both routes, the quantity limits, the costs and the out-of-hours plan.
Pharmacist emergency supply rules
The three things a pharmacist must be satisfied of, how much they can give, and why they sometimes say no.
Can NHS 111 prescribe?
What 111 can and cannot do about a prescription, and what it actually does when you say you have run out.
Controlled drugs, ADHD medicine and insulin
Why a pharmacy cannot hand over ADHD or opioid medicine, and the rules that do let them help with insulin.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The devolved emergency supply services and how they differ from England.
Medicine stock checker
National shortage status plus a call list of nearby pharmacies.
Track your medicine free
Get an email if your medicine enters or leaves a national shortage. Free, and alerts are rare — that is good news.
Track a medicine free →Written by the MediWatch editorial team and checked against the official sources above on 4 August 2026. This page is information, not medical advice. Always follow your pharmacist, GP, specialist, NHS 111 or urgent-care advice for your own medicine. Report an accuracy issue.
This page was written by the MediWatch editorial team and checked for accuracy against NHS, NHSBSA and legislation.gov.uk guidance. Shortage information comes from official DHSC medicine supply notifications and NHS England Serious Shortage Protocols. See our editorial policy and data sources.