Arran residents with urgent NHS appointments on the mainland can travel to hospital for free as of tomorrow.

CalMac’s updated 'Urgent Medical Appointment Protocol' means that if a journey is full for vehicles, and there are no alternative sailings, islanders with urgent NHS appointments will be able to book as a foot passenger for free.

These passengers will also be able to claim back expenses for transport from the ferry terminal to the hospital or GP surgery and vice versa.

Iain Slorach, contracts and planning manager with CalMac Ferries Ltd, said: “It is important that islanders with an urgent medical need can attend their appointments on the mainland, and our protocol ensures that they do not miss these when space is limited.”

The measures, which will take effect from Friday, February 3, are currently in a temporary pilot phase but CalMac hope they will be able to extend the scheme.

Capacity on the firm's Ardrossan-Arran service has become particularly acute this month after the overhaul of the route's usual ferry, MV Caledonian Isles, had to be extended from February 3 to February 16.

The route was being covered by two much smaller ships - MV Isle of Arran and MV Hebridean Isles - but the latter ship too has since been withdrawn from service due to technical problems, after initially being diverted to a freight only service between Troon and Brodick.

However, the changes to the policy on the carrying of passengers with urgent medical appointments will last beyond the short term - and in fact will be in place until the end of CalMac's 2023 summer timetable in October.

Mr Slorach added: “These two changes to the urgent medical appointment protocol will be in place until the end of the summer timetables.

“The take-up of the urgent medical protocol will be reviewed with Transport Scotland towards the end of the summer season, with a view to extending these changes into the winter period.”

Hospital discharge patients will also qualify for this scheme as CalMac acknowledged patients can often be discharged at short notice leaving them unable to plan ahead and leaving them unable to get home due as ferries will be fully booked.

To qualify for the scheme, ferry journeys must be booked within five days of the appointment being made.

The updated protocol - which is in place for all CalMac routes - came after the company considered feedback from islanders throughout Scotland, and after the changes were given approval by Transport Scotland.