Edinburgh's next walk-in GP clinic should open at Ocean Terminal, says Leith MSP Ben Macpherson
Leith MSP Ben Macpherson has called for a walk-in GP clinic to be set up at Ocean Terminal shopping centre.
The first of the new clinics - designed for patients with an urgent health concern who cannot attend their usual GP practice - opened as a pilot in Wester Hailes in February. It is planned to be part of an initial 15-strong network of walk-in GP clinics currently being rolled out across Scotland.
And earlier this month First Minister John Swinney announced at the SNP’s party conference that, if the SNP is re-elected in May, it would deliver a total of 30 walk-in clinics, including a second clinic in Edinburgh.
Now Mr Macpherson has written to the First Minister and Health Secretary Neil Gray, urging them to open one of the clinics at Ocean Terminal, arguing it is a location well placed to meet growing local demand for primary care.
The clinics offer same‑day access to healthcare without the need for an appointment. And Mr Macpherson said the pilot one, at the Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre, was already delivering tangible benefits on that side of the city.
He said Ocean Terminal had hosted a successful NHS vaccination clinic for several years, and was very well‑connected by public transport, making it an ideal site for other NHS services, including primary care and a walk-in GP clinic.
It could provide services for local people in Leith and those across Northern and Eastern Edinburgh. And establishing a GP clinic there would cost less to fit out than creating a new building.
Mr Macpherson said: "The SNP Scottish Government’s new GP walk‑in clinics will help make sure people get the care they need at a time that suits them.
“Opening one of these in Ocean Terminal in Leith would be very accessible for a lot of people, ease local pressures on current GP clinics, help meet the demands of population growth in the area, and Lothian more widely, and positively enhance the healthcare facilities on offer in Northern and Eastern Edinburgh.
"I have long advocated for a GP clinic at Ocean Terminal, raising the suggestion in parliament and writing to the Scottish Government in recent years.
“The existing vaccine clinic has been a clear success, and the site is very well located to host a new NHS facility and GP walk-in clinic. This would meaningfully boost healthcare provision in Leith and for the wider area."