GP walk-in clinics have failed to end 8am appointment scramble
The Scottish Greens have urged ministers to rethink the wider rollout of GP walk-in clinics after early evidence showed that they have failed to end the morning scramble for appointments.
The party’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health, Kayleigh Kinross-O’Neill MSP said the Scottish Government cannot ignore the limited results delivered by the scheme so far, or the concerns raised by GPs, the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Instead, the Greens are calling for targeted investment in the practices facing the greatest pressure, a major expansion in GP recruitment and more mental health, welfare and community support within surgeries.
Scottish Greens health spokesperson Kayleigh Kinross-O’Neill MSP said:
“Walk-in clinics were supposed to end the daily 8am scramble for a GP appointment, but the evidence so far is suggesting that they have failed to deliver the change promised.
“The pilot must be properly evaluated, but ministers cannot simply press ahead with a wider rollout while ignoring its limited success and the serious concerns being raised by GPs, the BMA and the Royal College of General Practitioners.
“This scheme shows no signs of resolving the pressures that constituents are raising with me every week.
“We need targeted investment in the practices and communities that we already know are overwhelmed, rather than applying the same model everywhere and hoping it works.”
Kayleigh added:
“GPs provide more than 90% of patient contact across our NHS, supporting them means investing in recruitment, but recruiting more GPs is not a silver bullet.
“Practices must also be properly funded and resourced to include mental health practitioners, and community workers; embedding that kind of wider support within every practice, beginning in the most deprived communities, would help people access the right services sooner and reduce pressure on GPs.
“We have already seen the difference that accessible community mental health services such as The Nook in Glasgow and Thrive in Edinburgh can make. Joining up health and wellbeing support is how we deliver lasting improvements for patients and give NHS staff the support they deserve.”