Ayrshire patients who require more complex inpatient vascular procedures will have to travel to University Hospital Hairmyers (UHH) in East Kilbride as of August 1.

NHS officials say the move is part of a ‘regional hub’ arrangement between the health boards for Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, and Dumfries and Galloway.

Most vascular services will still be provided in Ayrshire, with only the more complex cases being moved elsewhere.

Inpatients within NHS Ayrshire and Arran who require ongoing acute vascular care after August 1 will be transferred to UHH.

If a patient no longer requires acute vascular care but is not fit to go home, patients will transfer to the most appropriate healthcare setting based on their ongoing needs.

Jacqueline Nicol, NHS AAA’s interim acute services operational director, said: “The majority of the vascular service will continue to be delivered within NHS Ayrshire and Arran - this includes all non-arterial day case activity and outpatient services.

“While patients who require emergency care or a procedure which involves an overnight stay in hospital will have to travel to University Hospital Hairmyres for treatment, this really will ensure that they have access to the most appropriate and clinically safe vascular services at all times.”