Plans to create a new NHS national treatment centre in Ayr have been put on hold. 

Dozens of NHS construction projects across the country have been paused for up to two years due to budget pressures, the Scottish Government announced this week.

The Carrick Glen Hospital was bought by NHS Ayrshire and Arran in 2022 and was due to be remodelled and extended before opening for patient care.

The facility was previously owned by the private Circle Health Group.

Health boards, including NHS Ayrshire and Arran, have been told that no money is currently available for the projects. 

The National Treatment Centre (NTC) programme is an investment by the Scottish Government to support elective care across Scotland. 

In Ayrshire and Arran, the National Treatment Centre was due to focus on orthopaedic patients including those who needed hip or knee replacements, and over 1,000 patients who require a day case orthopaedic procedure.

On purchasing the building the health board said it planned to provide two theatres and an enhanced treatment room, as well as 11 inpatient beds.

The Scottish Government says a revised NHS infrastructure plan will be unveiled in the coming months.

A spokeswoman said: "The UK government did not inflation-proof its capital budget which has resulted in nearly a 10 per cent real-terms cut in the Scottish government's capital funding over the medium-term between 2023-24 and 2027-28.

"Our emphasis for the immediate future will be on addressing backlog maintenance and essential equipment replacement.

"As a result of the cut in our capital budget, a revised infrastructure investment plan will be published in the spring, and all due consideration will be given to what projects can be included within that revised plan."

South Scotland MSP Carol Mochan has slammed the decision, and reveals she intends to raise the issue in the Scottish Parliament this week. 

She said: “The Scottish Government had an opportunity to renew our NHS’s estate and provide extra capacity at a time when waiting lists are some of the longest we have ever seen.

“NHS Ayrshire and Arran have already purchased the Carrick Glen site, which will now lie unused because the Scottish Government has poorly managed the public purse.

“Orthopaedic patients who would have received surgery or inpatient appointments close to home at the Ayr NTC will now spend even longer suffering on waiting lists, while the Scottish Government draws up a much less extensive plan to improve our NHS estate.

“Patients and staff need clarity about what the future holds and I will be pushing for the planned treatment centre project to be restored to the original commitment made by this government.”