This bank holiday in August this year falls on the 26th of August 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 deadline for requesting bank holiday closure is 12pm on Wednesday 21st of August.
Extended response time
The eConsult system recognises the Easter bank holiday weekend (Friday 29th March, Saturday 30th March, Sunday 31st March and Monday 1st April) 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 22.8.24 | Tuesday 27.8.24 |
Friday 23.8.24 | Wednesday 28.8.24 |
Saturday 24.8.24 | Wednesday 28.8.24 |
Sunday 25.8.24 | Wednesday 28.8.24 |
Monday 26.8.24 ( Bank holiday ) | Wednesday 28.8.24 |
Tuesday 27.8.24 | Thursday 29.8.24 |
*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 all or part of the Easter bank holiday weekend please press the blue button below to submit a form with your closure request.
Please note the deadline for requesting bank holiday closure is 12pm Tuesday 26th March
If your practice has eConsult switched off at the weekend, this will be automatically extended, for example:
On Friday 23rd August eConsult will switch off until Tuesday 27th August
Timings will be the usual times that your practice switches 'off' on a Thursday and switches back 'on' on a Tuesday - to close the practice early on the Thursday, please use the demand management feature if enabled.
If your practice doesn't switch off normally for the weekend please fill in the form. The options for switch-off are:
12pm Thursday 22nd August
6:30pm Thursday 22nd August
12pm Friday 23rd August
5pm Friday 23rd August
6:30pm Friday 23rd August
The options for switching back on are:
8am Tuesday 27th August
12pm Tuesday 27th August
8am Wednesday 28th August
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.