Launch of Western Isles walk-in hub to strengthen same day unscheduled care

A new primary care ‘walk in’ service will open in Benbecula in late March, aimed at increasing access to same day unscheduled care for both island residents and the growing number of visitors across the Western Isles.

This service, developed in response to a request from the Scottish Government, sets out a rural‑proofed model designed to relieve pressure on local GP practices across the Western Isles, improve patient access, and enhance the resilience of primary and unscheduled care services.

There are two phases to the project, with the first phase involving access to a new hub for visitors and temporary residents across the Western Isles and the second phase involving opening up access to the hub for Uist residents.

There are approximately 27,000 permanent residents in the Western Isles, with a rapidly increasing number of visitors – over 389,000 in 2023, representing a 22 per cent increase from the previous year and a 15-fold rise in the number of people who might require healthcare. This dramatic rise has placed additional strain on primary and unscheduled care pathways, particularly in areas without community pharmacies such as Harris, the Uists and Barra.

Local GP practices have reported significant growth in temporary resident registrations, with the Uists alone registering around 600 additional temporary residentsto their existing combined list of approximately 5,000 patients last year – almost double the rate seen in Stornoway.

This increased activity impacts local GPs’ ability to deliver same day care for their own resident patients and the pressure is expected to intensify with large‑scale renewable energy developments bringing additional temporary workers.

The new service, which has received around £580,000 funding from the Scottish Government, will be located at Ospadal Uibhist agus Bharraigh (Uist and Barra Hospital) in Benbecula, providing a central, accessible hub with on‑site diagnostic facilities and multi‑professional support.

The hub will initially launch as a service for same day unscheduled care for temporary residents and visitors across the Western Isles, freeing capacity in the current GP services for Western Isles residents.

The service will be available weekdays from 9am – 5.30pm, offering telephone, Near Me (video conferencing) and face-to-face appointments and will be offered in addition to current existing unscheduled care provision during the out-of-hours period.  A space will be developed within Ospadal Uibhist agus Bharraigh to include consulting rooms, a waiting area and dispensary.  This provides a central location and excellent accessibility to patients, with ready access to onsite diagnostic facilities and access to multi-professional services.

For temporary residents not located in the Uist area, virtual appointments (telephone or Near Me) will be available and face-to -face appointments will be arranged (if necessary) in an appropriate location.

From November 2026, the service will expand to be available as a walk-in provision for residents of North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist, as an alternative to attending their own GP Practice.

NHS Western Isles Medical Director, Sara Else, said: “The model will enable GP practices to redirect temporary resident activity to the hub, freeing capacity for same day care for registered patients. The model is projected to provide up to 50 patient contacts per day.”

Staffing will include an Advanced Clinical Practitioner, a GP, a Pharmacy Technician, a Primary Care Flow Co‑ordinator, and analytical support from Public Health Intelligence. Recruitment prospects are strong.

Dr Else added: “The proposal has received support from the Western Isles GP Sub‑Committee, which emphasised the importance of developing a sustainable, equitable model of urgent care that does not destabilise existing GP services – particularly on Lewis, where an alternative walk‑in model was deemed inappropriate at this time.”

NHS Western Isles is fully supportive of the pilot, recognising its value in improving access for permanent residents and visitors alike, and in safeguarding the sustainability of primary care services across the island chain.