The Royal College of Pharmacy in Scotland (RCPharm Scotland) has expressed “concerns” that the country’s walk-in GP centres threaten to undermine the role of community pharmacy.
The comments came in a joint statement published by RCPharm Scotland alongside the Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland (RCGP Scotland) and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).
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The walk-in GP centre pilot programme was initially launched by the Scottish government in February to “provide a range of same-day assessments, diagnostics and treatment”.
Last week, Scottish first minister John Swinney announced an extension of the programme until April 2029, adding 24 new walk-in GP centre locations to the 16 previously announced, 11 of which are already in operation.
“Creating confusion”
RCPharm Scotland, RCGP Scotland and the CSP’s statement warned that the centres “risk undermining our existing services and could lead to unintended consequences across the wider healthcare system”.
“Community pharmacies across Scotland already provide a wide range of walk in services that closely mirror those offered by walk-in GP centres,” RCPharm Scotland said.
It added that “significant effort has gone into promoting Pharmacy First to patients over the years”, and that the walk-in GP pilot could “create confusion about where a patient’s first port of call should be”.
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The statement also expressed concern over cost, noting that Pharmacy First is available at more than 1,200 locations across Scotland “at a cost of approximately £7.5m", while the initial 16 walk-in GP centres are “estimated to cost £36m."
It cited evidence from walk-in GP centres trialled in England, which found that between 10% and 16% of patients who attended “would not otherwise have sought healthcare advice”, while a further 46% “went on to consult their GP within the following two weeks”.
“Patients attending walk-in GP centres were more likely to receive prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medication,” it said.
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“Rather than reducing demand elsewhere in the system, walk-in centres often generated unnecessary healthcare consumption and duplication.”
And the statement cautioned that walk-in centres “can exacerbate health inequalities” as these services “are often used disproportionately by people who are generally healthier, more affluent, and more able to navigate healthcare options”.
“Community pharmacies buck the inverse care law because their distribution is heavily concentrated in high-deprivation neighbourhoods where health needs are greatest, “it said.
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It comes after RCPharm published an open letter last month urging the Scottish government to “make better use” of the pharmacy workforce as it looks to prioritise public service reform.
And it follows the Pharmacists’ Defence Association producing a manifesto in March detailing how the next Scottish government could better support pharmacy.
