Essential maintenance work will take place that will affect and disrupt the telephone service at GP practices in Pendle between 6-30pm and 10pm on Wednesday.
Patients trying to ring their surgery between these times will not get a response. Usually, anyone who phones their GP surgery between these hours are directed to the GP out of hours service.
The GP out of hours service in East Lancashire is run by NHS 111 from 6-30pm until 8am Monday to Friday, and 24 hours on weekends and public holidays.
It provides healthcare services for patients who require advice or treatment from a GP who cannot wait until the surgery re-opens in the morning or after a weekend or bank holiday.
Dr Mike Ions, Chief Clinical Officer at NHS East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “GP surgeries normally have a message on their telephone system advising people that the surgery is now closed and redirecting them to ring NHS 111. Unfortunately, anyone ringing their GP surgery during these times on Wednesday will not get a response.
“NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is free to ring. It can provide medical advice and details of the best local service that can provide care.
“Telephone consultations and triage (an assessment of how urgent your medical problem is) are an important part of all out-of-hours care. Anyone with life threatening medical problems should ring 999.”