Queen Elizabeth II: GPs to close and schools advised to for funeral
- Published
A smiling Queen pictured during a garden party in Coleraine in June 2007 during a one-day visit to Northern Ireland
GPs in Northern Ireland will close and schools have been advised to shut on Monday, the day of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.
Hospital services and community pharmacies will also be affected, the Department of Health (DoH) said.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Michelle McIlveen has written to school principals with the advice to close.
Monday 19 September is the day of the Queen's state funeral and will be a bank holiday in the UK.
Schools in England, Scotland and Wales are also expected to close.
Ms McIlveen said schools in Northern Ireland could treat the bank holiday as an "exceptional closure day".
The DoH said a pharmacy rota would operate in chemists, with local health trusts operating "enhanced bank holiday services in order to reduce the impact on patients and service users" in GPs and hospitals.
Trusts will offer a range of services as well as those usually offered on a bank holiday - meaning they will "endeavour to maintain as many scheduled inpatient, day case and diagnostic services as possible with priority given to those people with greatest clinical need".
"Chemotherapy sessions will also be maintained," a DoH spokesperson said.
Where care is affected by the bank holiday, the relevant trust will be in contact with patients.
The department said if someone was in need of urgent medical care when the GP surgery was closed, the GP Out of Hours service should be contacted.
This will operate from 18:00 BST on Friday 16 September to 08:00 on Tuesday 20 September.
Schools in Northern Ireland had previously been told by the Department of Education (DE) they could make a decision on whether to close.
A letter to schools from the DE on Friday 9 September - prior to confirmation of the funeral arrangements for the Queen - said it was expected there would be a reduction in public services like school transport on the day of the funeral.
"It will be a decision for each school whether to close on the day of the state funeral," the letter said.
"However, it is anticipated that most schools will close and principals/school leaders and boards of governors should consider the reduction in public services when making their decision.
"Any schools that do not decide to close may wish to make arrangements for observance of the national two-minute silence at 11.00 on the day of the state funeral."
The Department of Education letter, though, said that further guidance would be provided to schools.
Flowers left outside Hillsborough Castle in memory of the Queen
The minister has now written to schools to update that guidance.
Ms McIlveen said the day of the Queen's funeral would be a day of national mourning and a bank holiday.
"There will be reduced delivery of public services including those that impact on schools, such as public transport and catering," she wrote.
"It is expected that education services, including those provided for by the Education Authority, will not operate on this date.
"It is therefore now expected that schools should close on Monday 19 September 2022, observing the bank holiday.
"This will enable the paying of respects to Her Majesty and takes account of reduced public services on that date.
"All school staff will be paid as normal."
Michelle McIlveen said that schools could treat the day of the funeral as an "exceptional closure day"
Ms McIlveen also said schools should pay substitute teachers or other supply staff who had already been booked to work on Monday 19 September.
Meanwhile Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University will also close on Monday.
However, some key university services like accommodation will not be affected.
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