New walk-in clinic for Fife to tackle 8:00am rush for a GP appointment
A new walk-in GP clinic, where people don’t need appointments, is planned for Fife.
It is part of a new Scottish Government initiative designed to ease the early morning phone calls which swamp surgeries as people look to see a doctor.
The central Fife clinic is in phase two of the country-wide project and will be run by NHS Fife. It could be in operation later this year or 2027, and could be based in a former town centre shop, but no locations have been confirmed.,
A total of 16 walk-in clinic were announced this week, giving Fifers an indication of how they will operate.
Twelve new sites - from Stranraer to Shetland - have been confirmed, building on the opening of the first walk-in centre in Edinburgh earlier this month.
A walk-in service in Lochee in Dundee will open in March, and be available seven days a week from 12:00pm to 8:00pm, with no appointment necessary.
Others will follow from Benbecula to Stranraer, and Hawick later this year. A second stage of the roll-out will see the development of three further sites in premises on the high street or former retail sites in East Ayrshire, Clydesdale, and Central Fife.
During a visit to one of the sites in Lerwick, Shetland, First Minister John Swinney said: “I committed to delivering 15 new walk-in GP centres and I am pleased that, not only will we now deliver an initial 16 sites, but many of these will be up and running in a matter of weeks.
“With centres open even days a week, and based in easily accessible locations in our communities across the country, this is part of a package addressing the 8:00am rush that has frustrated so many of us - easing capacity pressures on family doctors.
“By establishing a series of walk-in clinics we can ensure people are seen by a clinician at a time that works for them. Our programme will help us deliver over one million additional GP and nurse appointments.
“This complements our £531 million landmark investment in core General Practice. With GP numbers up, long waits down and new walk-in GP clinics being tested across Scotland, it is clear we are making real progress in our NHS and I am determined to continue driving forward improvements.”
The GP walk-ins will complement traditional practices and urgent care, bridging the gap between the two to offer patients the opportunity to be assessed at clinics led by GPs and staffed by highly-skilled, multidisciplinary teams. Depending on clinical need, patients may see a GP or advanced nurse practitioner or another health professional.