Thursday August 27th 2026
Hawick Community Hospital
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A new NHS GP walk-in clinic is to be established in the Scottish Borders, it was announced today.
Tweeddale will be one of 24 areas across the country to have access to services at an as-yet unspecified location.
The move comes after NHS Borders, as part of a nationwide Scottish Government pilot project, launched a walk-in clinic at Hawick Community Hospital in April this year.
The facility saw 178 attendees in June and a further 259 in July, new figures Government reveal.
There have been some teething problems with staffing pressures blamed for the temporary closure of the Hawick walk-in clinic in June – just two months after it opened.
The service gives local patients additional access options to same day assessment for new and urgent health concerns.
The clinic adds to existing GP and community health services and is designed to help patients with new, short-term health problems that need timely assessment but are not emergencies.
Patients can continue to contact and be supported by their own GP practice in the usual way.
Announcing the new network of clinics, First Minister John Swinney, said: “In the first six months since we opened the first service in February, more than 10,500 walk-in cases have been seen.
“As these services are phased in to become fully operational, seven days a week, I am confident that many more people will benefit.
“This is part of my Government’s wider agenda to provide patients with greater choice and access to care closer to home – in turn relieving pressure on hospitals and acute services.
“It will complement our trusted network of GP practices across the country, which we are bolstering with historic additional investment to recruit more GPs with £531 million to 2029.”
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