Hawick walk-in GP clinic closed due to 'temporary staffing pressures'
Last updated 1st Jul 2026
NHS Borders has announced the walk-in GP clinic in Hawick will be closed today (Tuesday) and tomorrow due to what it describes as "temporary staffing pressures".
The new service was initially expected to be available at the town's Community Hospital from Monday to Friday following its launch in April, before "quickly expanding" to seven days .
And the First Minister had previously announced centres would be open between 12pm and 8pm.
But the Scottish Borders pilot currently only operates from 2pm to 6pm, Tuesday to Friday.
The new walk-in clinic is available for patients registered with Teviot and Mairches practices in Hawick, or Selkirk Medical Practice, who have a new health problem that started within the last two weeks.
It's part of a Scottish Government initiative designed to end the 8am scramble for a doctor's appointment and reduce pressure on the Emergency Department at Borders General Hospital (BGH).
The pilot's aimed at those who need to be seen quickly, but whose condition isn't a medical emergency.
Health chiefs say it will reopen on Thursday.
Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk Conservative MP John Lamont (pictured above) said: "When the Scottish Government announced these new walk-in clinics for GP services, there was a view that this potentially could be a good thing - taking pressure off other NHS services; but there was also concern that this was just a pre-election stunt by the SNP hoping to get votes, because clearly there's lots of concern about being able to access a GP as quickly as many people would like.
"Now we discover that this walk-in clinic in Hawick is shut for two days because of the lack of availability of staff. It does raise questions about how reliable this service is going to be. And it also does raise questions about how properly resourced it is?
"It's all very well having these walk-in clinics, but unless there's sufficient resource behind it to ensure there's always sufficient staff on call to provide this walk-in service, it does sort of defeat the purpose.
"So, (there are) serious questions to be asked; serious concerns that this might just have been a pre-election stunt."
He added: "People need to be able to access their GPs when they need to, and if that's not an option, the walk-in service should be reliable as well; and that doesn't seem to be the case."
We've asked both NHS Borders and the Scottish Government for a response.
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The first walk-in centre opened in Edinburgh in February, with 16 planned across the country.
Speaking at the time, First Minister John Swinney said: “With centres open 12-8pm, seven days a week, and based in easily accessible locations in our communities across the country, this is part of a package addressing the 8am rush that has frustrated so many of us - easing capacity pressures on family doctors.
“By establishing a series of walk-in clinics we can ensure people are seen by a clinician at a time that works for them. Our programme will help us deliver over one million additional GP and nurse appointments.
“This complements our £531 million landmark investment in core General Practice. With GP numbers up, long waits down and new walk-in GP clinics being tested across Scotland, it is clear we are making real progress in our NHS and I am determined to continue driving forward improvements.”
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Today's announcement comes just a day after we reported new figures show hospital waiting times in the Borders have fallen significantly over the past year.
By March, 98 per cent of patients had received their MRI, CT or non-obstetric ultrasounds within six weeks - the best performance in Scotland.
And the number of patients waiting over 62 days for cancer treatment has halved.
UPDATE: The Scottish Government insists "the service is fully-funded" and "expect it to re-open as soon as possible".
It says patients can still access their own GP or Pharmacy First in the meantime.
A spokesperson said: “We are aware of issues raised today by NHS Borders which is responsible for the delivery of Hawick GP walk-in services.
"We understand the Board is working at pace to resolve the staffing issues that have led to the temporary closure of the clinic and we expect it to re-open as soon as possible.
"In the meantime, patients can still access their own GP or Pharmacy First.
“The service is fully-funded and part of our pilot network of GP walk-in services across Scotland. We opened the 9th service yesterday in Glasgow and more sites will open in the coming weeks.”
FURTHER UPATE: NHS Borders has confirmed the walk-in GP clinic in Hawick will reopen on Thursday, after being forced to close due to what it describes as "short-term staffing pressures".
The health board says work is ongoing to explore the planned extension of the service, and apologising for any inconvenience.
The full statement released today (Wednesday) reads: "The walk-in clinic in Hawick is temporarily closed on Tuesday, June 30th, and Wednesday, July 1st, due to short-term staffing pressures.
"We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and can confirm the clinic will reopen on Thursday, July 2nd.
“This remains a pilot service and, as with any new model of care, arrangements will continue to be reviewed and refined as the pilot progresses."
And, it adds: "Work is ongoing with our partners to explore the planned extension of operating hours in line with the wider ambitions for the programme."
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