First Minister announces an additional 24 GP-led walk-in services across the country, building on the 16 already open or in progress.
Since February this year, 11 walk-in GP services have opened across Scotland, as part of a pilot scheme to provid essential health and care in a way that’s quick and convenient for patients. The latest is at Buckhaven in Fife, and a further five such centres are already planned to open over coming months in Aberdeenshire, Alloa, Clydesdale, East Ayrshire and Moray.
But now First Minister John Swinney has announced a further 24 areas across Scotland will benefit from such provision, as the scheme is being extended to April 2029.
The aim of the GP walk-in pilot initiative was to test new ways of accessing same-day care from GPs, advanced nurse practitioners or other clinicians at a wider range of times that previously available. The walk-in centres are designed to provide more choice for patients, while helping to relieve pressure on wider NHS services. The extension of the scheme suggests they have already achieved some success.
The 24 newly named areas are: Arbroath; Dumbarton; Livingston; Paisley; Inverness; Leith; Shotts; Falkirk; East Kilbride; Tweeddale; East Renfrewshire; Irvine; North Lanarkshire; Grangemouth; Musselburgh; Glenrothes; Ayr; East Dunbartonshire; Inverclyde; Oban; Glasgow City; Glasgow North East; Glasgow Southside; and Glasgow North West.
Work is already under way with health boards to establish these centres, and many will be open within a year.
First Minister John Swinney says: ‘I promised that my government would break from the status quo and introduce a new way for patients to access same day care – and we are delivering on that commitment. We are listening and want to create more choice for patients, closer to home and without the need for a pre-booked appointment. In the first six months since we opened the first service in February, more than 10,500 walk-in cases have been seen. As these services are phased in to become fully operational, seven days a week, I am confident that many more people will benefit.
‘The opening of our newest GP walk-in service, in Fife, is an important milestone in the roll-out of this pilot project, fulfilling my government’s commitment to open five new walk-in centres within our first 100 days of office. We have done this in Aberdeen, Dunoon, Invergordon, Cardonald and Buckhaven. This is part of my government’s wider agenda to provide patients with greater choice and access to care closer to home – in turn relieving pressure on hospitals and acute services. It will complement our trusted network of GP practices across the country, which we are bolstering with historic additional investment to recruit more GPs with £531m to 2029.’
Photo: Alexandr Podvalny / Unsplash
In related news:
‘You really are on your own’: Care leavers three times more likely to die young
Leave a Reply