Additional opening hours are being introduced at the NHS Shetland Walk-In Clinic at Grantfield as the pilot service continues to expand.
From Monday 5 October, the clinic will be open from 12pm to 8pm on weekdays, alongside its existing 9am to 5pm weekend service. Patients are asked not to attend before 12pm on weekdays.
The extended weekday opening hours will provide more opportunities for people to access same-day care for urgent, non-life-threatening health concerns, including during the afternoon and early evening.
Improvement works at Grantfield have now been completed, with the Walk-In Clinic and Vaccination Team returning to the building on Tuesday 22 September following a temporary relocation to the Outpatients Department while the work was undertaken.
The Vaccination Team continues to operate from Grantfield during the week. Patients attending the Walk-In Clinic should therefore only arrive during the advertised walk-in opening hours.
As the building is used by both services, the waiting room may be busy at times and patients attending the Walk-In Clinic may have to wait to be seen. The service operates on a drop-in basis.
During the pilot period, opening days and times may occasionally vary. Patients are encouraged to check the NHS Shetland website and social media channels for the latest information before attending.
Dr Deepa Shah said: "The extension of our opening hours is an important step in the continued development of the Walk-In Clinic pilot. By opening from midday through to 8pm on weekdays, alongside our weekend service, we are making it easier for people to access same-day care at times that may be more convenient for them.
"The clinic provides assessment and treatment for a range of urgent but non-life-threatening health concerns, helping patients receive the right care in the right place. Your GP surgery may still be the most appropriate place for your care, as the Walk-In Clinic is designed to manage minor illnesses that can be treated in one visit. As a walk-in service, demand can vary considerably throughout the day and there may be periods when people need to wait to be seen. We would ask patients to bear this in mind and thank them for their patience while our clinical teams care for those with the most urgent needs first."
The Walk-In Clinic is available to everyone in Shetland, including people who are not registered with a local GP practice. Visitors to Shetland can also use the service.
Patients can attend the clinic for same-day assessment of urgent, non-life-threatening conditions that would normally be managed in primary care. This includes new or acute symptoms such as pain, rashes, fever and infections.
The service is not intended for emergency care, ongoing management of long-term conditions or conditions needing further investigations or follow up, repeat prescriptions, medication reviews, minor injuries, administrative requests or specialist care. Patients whose needs fall outside the scope of the service will be redirected to the most appropriate healthcare service.
Patients attending the clinic may be seen by either a GP or an Advanced Nurse Practitioner.
Further information about the Walk-In Clinic is available on the NHS Shetland website: NHS Shetland Walk-In Clinic.