Scottish BMA and RCGP criticise investment in ‘walk-in clinics’ instead of core general practice
GP leaders in Scotland have criticised the Government’s decision to invest in new ‘high street walk-in clinics’ as part of its draft budget, instead of directing more money towards core general practice.
The draft budget, published this week, committed to investing £22.5bn in health and social care including £2.4 billion for primary care and community services.
Finance secretary Shona Robison also announced the budget would include £36m to ‘begin the rollout of new high street walk-in GP clinics’.
The first pilot site for the clinics was announced today, with services focused on ‘urgent, on-the-day primary care needs’, similar to the care currently provided by GP out-of-hours services, the Government said.
But the BMA said walk-in centres used elsewhere in the UK ‘have not demonstrated good value for money’ and that they ‘remain unconvinced’ that this model will have a significant impact on reducing demand on other services.
The RCGP also criticised the pilot and said that if the Scottish Government is serious about its ambition to deliver more care in the community, this must be backed by ‘a significant shift in resources’ towards core general practice.
The college pointed to evidence from England showing that walk‑in centres are ‘more expensive to run than standard in‑hours general practice’, can fragment care across multiple providers and are predominantly used by younger, healthier patients with minor, self‑limiting conditions.
BMA Scotland GP chair Dr Iain Morrison said: ‘We cannot afford to see essential resources lost into pilot schemes with limited potential.
‘We know walk-in centres used elsewhere in the UK have not demonstrated good value for money and we remain unconvinced that this model will have a significant impact on reducing demand on other services, including GP workloads.’
He said a better solution to end the ‘8am rush’ would be to ‘direct resources into core, essential services, such as general practice’.
It comes after the BMA ended its five-month dispute with the Government in October after accepting an offer increasing general practice funding by £249m annually recurring by 2028/29.
The new draft budget contains the initial £98m instalment for general practice agreed in that deal between the Government and the union.
In October, the Government announced a ‘nationwide network’ of walk-in GP services to deliver one million extra appointments in Scotland, open from noon to 8pm, seven days a week, with the scheme being piloted in fifteen sites and the first opening ‘within the year’.
Health secretary Neil Gray defended the plans at last year’s Scottish LMCs conference, telling attendees he did see them as a ‘challenge’ to general practice.
RCGP Scotland vice chair Dr Chris Williams said: ‘In our view, walk‑in centres do not represent a sound use of resources, nor are they likely to have any meaningful impact on the 8am rush for GP appointments.
‘Our firm view is that the Scottish Government must rigorously evaluate the pilot and establish a clear exit strategy should walk‑in centres fail to reduce pressure on core services as we expect.
‘The £36 million allocated to this pilot would be better spent supporting patients to access their trusted GP in a timely manner.’
In response to the draft budget, RCGP Scotland welcomed the initial £98m funding but warned the expected increase in general practice’s share of the overall NHS budget – from 6% to 7% – fell short of the college’s manifesto demands.
