Ayrshire’s struggling health board has restarted some non-emergency surgery despite facing “significant pressures”.

Bosses at stretched NHS Ayrshire and Arran say they are operating with a “reduced capacity” for non-urgent surgical procedures and are facing difficulties in the delivery of urgent care.

The board’s medical director Dr Crawford McGuffie revealed that “cumulative pressures” at Crosshouse and Ayr hospitals had hit service delivery with non emergency surgery cancelled for August.

New measures now mean NHS and social care workers who have been ‘pinged’ or identified as close contacts of coronavirus sufferers, do not now need to stay away from work if they meet certain criteria.

Dr McGuffie said this week: “Following a recent pause, elective surgery has now resumed at both University Hospitals Ayr and Crosshouse on a reduced capacity and will be kept under constant review and will increase as other pressures ease.

“We would like to apologise to any patients who experience a delay in their surgery. All efforts will be made to minimise delays.”