GP-led walk-in services guiding principles, phase 1 key learning summary: October 2026

Summary of key points from the full document.

Key points

  • GP-led walk-in services are being developed in Scotland to improve access to urgent primary care, and provide greater flexibility for patients, whilst supporting a reduction in pressure on GP practices and acute hospital services.
  • These services provide same day care for urgent health conditions that are not emergencies, without the need for a pre-booked appointment. They are delivered by multidisciplinary teams and are intended to complement existing GP practices, NHS 24, community pharmacy, and acute hospital services.
  • 16 pilot sites were selected across Scotland to test different delivery models and inform future national rollout. As of October 2026, 12 GP-led walk-in services are open.
  • There is no single model of delivery among the pilot sites. Services have been designed to meet local population needs, geography, workforce capacity and existing healthcare infrastructure. While this flexibility is important, common themes have emerged across sites.
  • Key enablers include: strong leadership, collaborative working and relationship building with existing services, robust communication pathways and clear information for patients.
  • Key challenges include: workforce recruitment and sustainability, effective integration with existing primary care services, variable demand patterns, and public and professional understanding of service purpose and eligibility.
  • There are opportunities to develop consistency in data collection and some operational processes through shared learning across Scotland.
  • Patient feedback is routinely collected across sites and is generally positive, despite variable response rates.
  • The pilot is due to expand to a total of 40 walk-in services by April 2029. Ongoing evaluation by Healthcare Improvement Scotland to ensure that the improvement and implementation support provided to all walk-in services is relevant and evidence based through learning from teams will inform future iterations of this document.