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The Scottish government had committed to creating 30 walk-in clinics aiming to reduce the strain on GP surgeries. By the end of June, nine of these clinics were operational, with six having been open throughout June and able to provide attendance data. Since the first clinic opened on 10 February 2026, nearly 7,000 patients had been seen across the centres by the end of June 2026.
Data reveals that the walk-in clinic in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh, was the busiest in June, attending to close to 850 patients, which averages about 28 patients daily. Following closely were the clinics in Stranraer with over 730 patients, and Lerwick with just above 220 patients. In contrast, the Hawick clinic, which was forced to close earlier in the month due to temporary staffing shortages, saw fewer than 180 patients in June. Additionally, the Lochee and Benbecula clinics each served less than 100 patients during the same period. It’s important to note that most clinics restrict their services to patients registered at nearby GP surgeries, have varying opening hours, and differ in the range of services they provide.
Attendance figures are recorded using two metrics: “cases,” denoting a single patient encounter with the walk-in centre, and “consultations,” which represent interactions between a patient and a healthcare professional. A patient may have multiple cases within a month at a centre and potentially several consultations during one visit. The data available pertains to six walk-in clinics.
Concerns about the effectiveness of the scheme were raised by Dr Iain Morrison, chairman of the BMA’s Scottish GPs committee, during an interview with Radio Scotland Breakfast. He emphasized the importance of recognizing failure quickly in any pilot project, warning, “My concern is that we’re not going to learn to close this down when all the evidence suggests that it’s not working.” He added that there is a risk the programme may continue or even expand despite evidence indicating it is not achieving its intended impact. Dr Morrison also suggested the initiative, announced at the SNP conference before the Holyrood election, seemed driven more by political motivations than practical solutions.
Last year, First Minister John Swinney stated that these walk-in clinics would generate over one million additional GP and nurse appointments. However, Dr Morrison recalled that GPs had expressed doubts about the plan from the outset, describing the current situation as “a case of ‘I’ve told you so’.” He argued that the true solution to improving capacity involves investing in core services rather than funneling funds into separate initiatives that do not address the fundamental problems. Drawing parallels with a similar scheme implemented in England almost two decades ago, he noted that many of those walk-in centres ultimately closed or were converted into other facilities, such as emergency care centres. Research into the English model revealed that 20% of users would not have sought medical attention if the centres had not existed, indicating an increase in demand on already limited NHS resources.
While Dr Morrison acknowledged that part of the low patient turnout might be due to insufficient publicity, he stressed that significant issues remain. He pointed out that the clinics have restrictions on who they will see, are often limited to specific GP clusters or practices, and exclude a large portion of the Scottish population, leaving many without access to these walk-in services
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