Everyone’s hoping for a happy, healthy and safe festive season here in Maybole - 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.

All South Ayrshire Council offices and facilities, with a few exceptions, will close from 4pm on Friday 23/12/11 and reopen at 8.45am on Wednesday 4^th January. 

During the holiday you can pay rent, Council Tax and other Council accounts by telephone  24 hours a day, 7 days a week using the touchtone payment service on 0300 123 0900. You can also pay on the South Ayrshire website.

Libraries
Carnegie, Girvan, Maybole, Prestwick and Troon Libraries will close at 3pm on Saturday 24/12/11.

Waste Management
There will be no change to your normal household bin and black box collection during the festive period. Please put your bin out before 6am on your normal day of collection. Local recycling points can be used at any time throughout the festive period.

The special uplift service will resume on Wednesday 4^th January.

All community recycling centres will be closed Sunday 25/12/11 and Sunday 1/1/12. Girvan, Maybole and Troon will also close Monday 26/12/11 and Mon 2/01/12. All centres will open 10am-4pm except the Ayr centre, which will open 10am-6pm weekdays, 9am-4pm weekends and public holidays.

 Emergency telephone numbers

Emergency Repairs: 01292 611116

Gas Escape - Transco: 0800 111 999

Homeless Standby Service: 0808 100 3151

Monitoring Station: 01292 266289

Road and Lighting Faults: 01292 612302

Social Work Standby Service: 0800 811 505

You can find more details here on the South Ayrshire website.

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

Rowlands Pharmacy, 29 Mount Oliphant Crescent, Ayr, 10am - 12 noon

Toll Pharmacy, 153 Ayr Road, Prestwick, 12 noon - 2pm

Monday 26 December 2011

Boots the Chemist, 168/170 High Street, Ayr, 10am – 5pm

Lloyds Pharmacy, Dalmellington Road, Kincaidston, Ayr, 10am – 2pm

Boots the Chemist, 39 Dalrymple Street, Girvan, 10am – 2pm

Boots UK Ltd, 89 Main Street, Prestwick, 10am – 5pm

Boots UK Ltd, Unit 5, 49 Academy Street, Troon, 10am – 5pm

Tuesday 27 December 2011

Boots the Chemist, 168/170 High Street, Ayr, 8.30am – 6pm

Lloyds Pharmacy, Dalmellington Road, Kincaidston, Ayr, 10am – 2pm

Morrisons, Castlehill Road, Ayr, 9am – 6pm

Boots, 39 Dalrymple Street, Girvan, 10am – 2pm

Boots, 89 Main Street, Prestwick, 10am – 5pm

Boots, Unit 5, 49 Academy Street, Troon, 10am – 5pm

Wallace Stevenson, 131 Deveron Road, Troon, 9am – 12 noon

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 s1maybole