Fife’s Walk-In Service (Urgent Care), part of the Scottish Government’s Phase 2 national GP Walk-In pilot project, will be located within the Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital, Buckhaven.
NHS Fife and Fife Health and Social Care Partnership will launch the GP led walk-in service by the end of August.
From the end of August the service will be available if you are registered with a GP in Leven, Methil, Buckhaven and Kennoway. As part of this pilot, access is being limited initially to ensure the service is safe and effective for patients and staff, with patient demand being regularly reviewed.
From September / October 2026 we plan to expand the service at Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital to all Fife residents registered with a GP. Further information will follow regarding this.
Public Health Minister, Maree Todd said: “If you're unwell and can't wait for an appointment with your own GP, you'll be able to walk in and be seen at Randolph Wemyss Community Hospital on Wellesley Road in Buckhaven, no phone queue, no 8am scramble, with the location selected to ensure the service is accessible to local residents.
"That's what this government is here to deliver: health services that work around people's lives. We said in our first 100 days that we would open at least five new walk-in centres and confirm locations for another 14. We are doing exactly that and this will be the eleventh site to open under our pilot programme.
“Walk-in services complement rather than replace patients' relationships with their own GP. They bridge the gap between general practice and urgent care, giving people an alternative when they need to be seen quickly.
"Each site will be evaluated on patient access, health inequalities, impact on GP workload and value for money. The evidence from this pilot will shape how we build on this further. But the principle is straightforward — if walk-in services improve access and take pressure off GPs, we will go further."
The Walk-In Service (Urgent Care) will give eligible patients who have an urgent non-emergency health concern and cannot attend their usual GP practice access to same-day, face-to-face assessment and treatment without an appointment.
It is designed to complement existing general practice (GP) services and community pharmacy provisions, ensuring patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
From the end of August, the Walk-In service (Urgent Care) will be open from 10am until 6pm Monday to Friday.
At weekends and public holidays people should call NHS 24 on 111 to be clinically triaged and directed to the most appropriate place for their care.
For more information visit nhsfife.org/walk-in
Locating the service at Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital will help ensure an accessible, central location for care.
The location within an established NHS clinical setting ensures the appropriate infrastructure is already in place to support effective access to services.
The site was also chosen because it sits within an area where there is higher demand for urgent, unscheduled care, helping services be closer to communities who need them.
This is the first pilot location for a Walk-In Service in Fife and if successful, the Scottish Government will look to roll out across other locations in the Kingdom.
Director of Fife Health and Social Care Partnership, Lynne Garvey, said: “Following a robust process to determine the location for the Walk-In Service (Urgent Care), we believe Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital is a site which will help us maximise the benefit for people who need to access this service.
“A lot of work is already underway to ensure we can open as soon as possible with a target of having the service launched by the end of August.
“We understand people may have questions about how they will access the new service and what it will provide, so it is our intention to continue to issue regular updates as plans develop.”
ENDS
For more information visit nhsfife.org/walk-in
