Fife’s new GP walk-in clinic: where it is located and it’s opening hours

The initiative is part of a Scottish Government plan to ease pressure on the NHS, and tackle the early morning scramble to get appointments at GP surgeries.

The new walk-in centre - which doesn’t need an appointment - will be based at Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital, in Buckhaven.

It will be open from the end of August, operating from 10:00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday - but will not provide weekend cover when people will have to call NHS 24 on 111 to be clinically triaged and directed to the most appropriate place for their care. .

The opening hours are less than the original commitment of midday to 8:00pm seven days a week, made by John Swinney, First Minister when he announced the Scotland-wide roll-out programme.

The facility will also be limited initially to patients registered with a GP in Leven, Methil, Buckhaven and Kennoway. NHS Fife said that from September/October it planned to expand the service to all Fife residents registered with a GP.

The Walk-In Service (Urgent Care) will give eligible patients who have an urgent non-emergency health concern and cannot attend their usual GP practice access to same-day, face-to-face assessment and treatment without an appointment.

It is designed to complement existing GP services and community pharmacy provisions, ensuring patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Lynne Garvey, director of Fife Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “Following a robust process to determine the location for the Walk-In Service (Urgent Care), we believe Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital is a site which will help us maximise the benefit for people who need to access this service.

“A lot of work is already underway to ensure we can open as soon as possible with a target of having the service launched by the end of August.

“We understand people may have questions about how they will access the new service and what it will provide, so it is our intention to continue to issue regular updates as plans develop.”

The site was also chosen because it sits within an area where there is higher demand for urgent, unscheduled care, helping services be closer to communities who need them.

This is the first pilot location for a Walk-In Service in Fife and if successful, the Scottish Government will look to roll out across other locations in the Kingdom.

Maree Todd MSP, Public Health Minister, said: “If you're unwell and can't wait for an appointment with your own GP, you'll be able to walk in and be seen at Randolph Wemyss Community Hospital on Wellesley Road in Buckhaven, no phone queue, no 8:00am scramble, with the location selected to ensure the service is accessible to local residents.

"That's what this government is here to deliver; health services that work around people's lives. We said in our first 100 days that we would open at least five new walk-in centres and confirm locations for another 14. We are doing exactly that and this will be the eleventh site to open under our pilot programme.

“Walk-in services complement rather than replace patients' relationships with their own GP. They bridge the gap between general practice and urgent care, giving people an alternative when they need to be seen quickly.

"Each site will be evaluated on patient access, health inequalities, impact on GP workload and value for money. The evidence from this pilot will shape how we build on this further. But the principle is straightforward — if walk-in services improve access and take pressure off GPs, we will go further."