Bristol does not have a true 24-hour pharmacy. Based on NHS data, no pharmacy in the city stays open around the clock, every day. What Bristol does have is a handful of "100-hour" pharmacies, a formal NHS contract category for chemists required to open at least 100 hours a week, which in practice means considerably longer hours than a standard high street branch, including some evening and Sunday opening. If you need something outside all of that, NHS 111 is free and available 24 hours a day and can arrange an emergency supply of most prescription medicines from an on-call pharmacy.
Why there's no 24-hour pharmacy
Twenty-four-hour pharmacies are genuinely rare across the UK outside central London, and Bristol is no exception. It isn't a gap unique to the city, it reflects how few pharmacies anywhere run night shifts, since demand overnight is low enough that most areas are served instead by extended daytime hours and an NHS 111 fallback for genuine emergencies.
The longest-opening pharmacies in Bristol
These are 100-hour contract pharmacies, meaning they're committed to opening considerably longer than a typical chemist, including evenings and often Sundays. Exact hours can vary by day and do shift over time, so always check the live hours on the NHS website or by phone before you set out, especially late in the evening.
| Pharmacy | Address | Area | Notable for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easton Day & Night Chemist | 192 Stapleton Road, BS5 0NY | Easton | Longest-standing extended-hours option, despite the name it isn't literally 24 hours |
| Boots | Unit 1, Avonmeads Retail Park, St Philips Causeway, BS2 0SP | St Philip's Marsh | 100-hour pharmacy with evening opening |
| Well Pharmacy | 22A Lodgeside Avenue, Kingswood, BS15 1NH | Kingswood | 100-hour pharmacy serving east Bristol |
| ASDA Pharmacy | East Street, Bedminster, BS3 4JY | Bedminster | In-store pharmacy with extended daytime hours |
| Asda Pharmacy | Oatlands Avenue, Whitchurch, BS14 0ST | Whitchurch | In-store pharmacy with extended daytime hours |
Despite its name, Easton Day & Night Chemist's published weekly hours run from around 9am to 9pm rather than genuinely overnight, so don't rely on the name alone. It's still one of the better bets for an evening prescription on the east side of the city, and it's worth calling ahead if you're heading over specifically.
What to do if nothing nearby is open
If you need medication outside every pharmacy's hours and it's genuinely urgent, call NHS 111, free, any time of day or night. They can assess what you need and, where appropriate, arrange an emergency supply of most prescription medications from an on-call pharmacy, which isn't always the nearest one to you but is a real route to getting something sorted overnight. For anything that could be a medical emergency rather than a medication supply issue, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E, which in central Bristol means Southmead Hospital or the Bristol Royal Infirmary; see our hospital parking guide if you're driving there.
Finding what's open right now
Pharmacy hours change daily and shift around bank holidays, so the most reliable way to check what's open near you tonight is the NHS website's pharmacy finder (nhs.uk, search "find a pharmacy") rather than relying on a fixed list, since even 100-hour pharmacies don't all close at the same time every day. If you're searching from a specific part of the city, filter by postcode rather than assuming the nearest-sounding option on a general list is actually open.
Supermarket and chain pharmacies worth knowing
Boots, ASDA and Morrisons pharmacies across Bristol generally run longer hours than independent high street chemists, particularly branches inside larger supermarkets that stay open into the evening. They're a reasonable first call for anything past normal pharmacy hours that isn't urgent enough for NHS 111, though exact closing times vary by branch and day, so check before you travel rather than assuming a supermarket pharmacy keeps the same hours as the shop around it.