Blantyre Health Centre incident stood down but patients face 'major disruption'

An emergency incident at a clinic in South Lanarkshire has been stood down; however, patients face “major disruption”.

Emergency services were called to Victoria Street in Blantyre at around 9.30am following the discovery of a suspicious item within the grounds of the town’s health centre.

Officers evacuated the building and the surrounding premises as a precaution. The bomb disposal unit also attended the scene.

NHS Lanarkshire has since confirmed that staff have returned to the building after the incident was stood down.

The health board is urging patients to attend scheduled appointments on Thursday afternoon and Friday as planned.

A statement on social media has asked patients to only contact their GP practices if it is an emergency, as work is carried out to reschedule missed appointments.

“The incident at Blantyre Health Centre has now been stood down and staff are being allowed back into the building,” a spoksperson said.

“However, this incident has caused major disruption this morning. GP practices are asking patients to attend scheduled appointments as planned this afternoon and tomorrow.

“In order to allow them to reschedule appointments missed today which are required urgently, we ask that patients only contact their practice today and tomorrow regarding emergencies. We ask for patience and understanding over the next 24 hours and thank the local community for their support.”