Site of Scotland’s first walk-in GP clinic revealed

The site of Scotland’s walk-in GP clinic has been unveiled.

Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre in Edinburgh was named as the first future walk-in site on Thursday.

It’s part of the Scottish Government’s £36m plan to open a nationwide network of walk-in GP surgeries.

In October, the First Minister announced that the new walk-in services would be staffed by GPs and nurses from noon to 8 pm, seven days a week, and that people would not need to call for an appointment.

The Government has said 15 walk-in service centres will be established, with services focused on urgent, on-the-day primary care needs, similar to the care currently provided by GP out-of-hours services.

On Thursday, Scottish health secretary Neil Gray visited Edinburgh’s Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre, which is the first future pilot site to be announced.

He promised that the new walk-in services will deliver “over one million additional GP and nurse appointments” for Scots.

“This £36m investment will help more people get the right care, in the right place, at the right time,” Gray said.

“Walk-in services will make it easier to access urgent care on the day it’s needed, while easing pressure on GP practices and hospitals.

“The funding for the walk-in services is just part of almost £22.5bn allocated to health and social care, including a record £17.6bn for NHS services and resources. Our continued investment in the NHS is allowing us to target areas which are experiencing long waits, reducing backlogs, and getting people the appointments and treatments they need as quickly as possible. I am determined to keep driving forward improvements so everyone can get the care they need, when they need it.”

How will the walk-in service work?

The pilots will be delivered by NHS boards in partnership with local GP teams and other primary care professionals, and will be designed to meet local needs and complementexisting services.

The Wester Hailes pilot will provide care to an area of Edinburgh that is served by eight separate GPs, according to the deputy medical director primary care for NHS Lothian, Jeremy Chowings.

“[The walk-in service] is not there to replace general practice or be there to provide an alternative to the emergency department; it’s there to provide access for the sorts of things that you want to see someone about, fairly urgent but not an emergency,” Mr Chowings said.

“And it is a pilot, so what we’re hoping is that we’ll see outcomes after some months or a year and say, ‘This is what it does well, and this is what it doesn’t do so well’. And we’ll be able to tweak the service to make it more effective for local people.”

Tracey McKigen, director of primary care for NHS Lothian, said the plans are “still being refined”, but said the new service will complement existing health services.

“We are working closely with Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre, the Edinburgh Health and Social Care partnership and the Scottish Government to shape proposals for piloting a new walk-in GP service,” Ms McKigen said.

“While plans are still being refined, we believe the new service will help improve access to primary care and complement existing local health services.”