The Bank Holidays in May this year fall on the 6th and 27th May 2024.
This article covers the change in response time displayed to the patient when they complete their eConsult and also how to request bank holiday closure so patients aren't able to submit eConsults.
Please note the following deadlines for requesting bank holiday closure:
The deadline for the 6th May Bank Holiday is 12pm Wednesday 1st May
The deadline for the 27th May Bank Holiday is 12pm Wednesday 22nd May
Extended response time
The eConsult system recognises the May Bank Holidays (Monday 6th May and Monday 27th May) by automatically extending the time you have to respond to clinical eConsult submissions during this period.
Please see the updated response times below:
Submission date | Response time |
Thursday 02.05.24 | Tuesday 07.05.24 |
Friday 03.05.24 | Wednesday 08.05.24 |
Saturday 04.05.24 | Wednesday 08.05.24 |
Sunday 05.05.24 | Wednesday 08.05.24 |
Monday 06.05.24 (Bank Holiday) | Wednesday 08.05.24 |
Tuesday 07.05.24 | Wednesday 08.05.24 |
Thursday 23.05.24 | Tuesday 28.05.24 |
Friday 24.05.24 | Wednesday 29.05.24 |
Saturday 25.05.25 | Wednesday 29.05.24 |
Sunday 26.05.25 | Wednesday 29.05.24 |
Monday 27.05.24 (Bank Holiday) | Wednesday 29.05.24 |
Tuesday 28.05.24 | Wednesday 29.05.24 |
*All Admin submissions have a 3-working-day response, the table above provides response times for clinical submissions only.
Request Bank Holiday Closure
In order to request the closure of your practice for the May Bank Holidays please press the blue button below to submit a form with your closure request.
If your practice has eConsult switched off at the weekend, this will automatically extend so that your eConsults remain closed on the Bank Holiday Monday.
E.g. on Friday 3rd May eConsult will switch off until Tuesday 7th May
E.g. on Friday 24th May eConsult will switch off until Tuesday 28th May
Timings will be the usual times that your practice switches 'off' on a Friday and switches back 'on' on a Tuesday - to close the practice early on the Friday, please use the demand management feature if enabled.
If your practice doesn't switch off normally for the weekend please fill in the form. Please see the available options to switch off and switch on below:
Closure Options for 6th may
The options for switching off are:
12pm Thursday 2nd May
6:30pm Thursday 2nd May
12pm Friday 3rd May
5pm Friday 3rd May
6:30pm Friday 3rd May
The options for switching back on are:
8am Tuesday 7th May
12pm Tuesday 7th May
8am Wednesday 8th May
Closure Options for 27th May
The options for switching off are:
12pm Thursday 23rd May
6:30pm Thursday 23rd May
12pm Friday 24th May
5pm Friday 24th May
6:30pm Friday 24th May
The options for switching back on are:
8am Tuesday 28th May
12pm Tuesday 28th May
8am Wednesday 29th May
For any other switch off/on options please use your demand management feature.
During the switch-off period, patients can still access self-help, local services and pharmacy options.
If you have any questions or if want to check if you have weekend closure enabled, please send an email to practice.support@econsult.health and provide the practice name and ODS code.
If you have any questions or you feel that this article could be improved, please feel free to give us some feedback by emailing us, pressing the emojis below or using the chat button on the bottom right-hand side of this page to speak to one of the eConsult team.