A private hospital in Ayr has been snapped up by the NHS, with plans to turn it into a dedicated hub for elective surgery.

The Carrick Glen Clinic has been taken over by NHS Ayrshire & Arran to become part of a network of 10 national treatment centres.

The hospital was purchased for £1.8 million from Circle BMI on March 31, and will specialise in orthopaedics.

The NHS will take over occupancy of the building on May 14, and consultation with the 11 members of staff regarding future employment arrangements is under way.

The national treatment centre (NTC) programme forms part of planned NHS recovery, and once fully operational it will deliver capacity for more than 40,000 additional surgeries and procedures in Scotland each year.

Scottish health secretary Humza Yousaf will announce the purchase during a visit today (Wednesday, April 13) to University Hospital Ayr, where he will meet staff and patients at the orthopaedics services department.

Mr Yousaf said: “I am very pleased that Carrick Glen Hospital will become a national treatment centre specialising in orthopaedics.

“These centres will mark the largest expansion in elective care capacity in NHS Scotland with an overall investment of over £400 million.

“We know that the pandemic has taken its toll on services like orthopaedics, but the network of NTCs will help address this and will be central to NHS recovery.

“I would like to thank the NHS Ayrshire & Arran team for their continued hard work and determination to progress the new centre during a time of continued significant pressure.”

Dr Joellene Mitchell, consultant anaesthetist and co-clinical lead for the NTC Ayrshire and Arran, said: “We are excited about the purchase of Carrick Glen Hospital to become NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s new national treatment centre and what that will mean for residents of Ayrshire and Arran.

“The NTC aims to create additional access to theatre sessions, increase orthopaedic inpatient beds and improve orthopaedic pathways through a whole-scale review and redesign of processes, services, staffing and accommodation.

“It will complement the elective centre of excellence on the University Hospital Ayr site, and will mean that we can treat more patients, reducing waiting times and improving patient experience.”