The well-publicised shortage of doctors across Scotland is being felt in Largs.

Largs Medical Group – which formed after the merging of the Fraser Street and Aitken Street surgeries – has told patients that they have been unable to replace senior GP, Dr Andrew Auld, who is retiring this month.

In a statement, the group said: “Dr Auld has been a GP in Largs for 35 years and although we are sorry he is leaving the practice, I am sure you will join us in wishing him a long and happy retirement.

“This obviously creates a vacancy within the practice for a new GP, however, we have been unable, as yet, to find a suitable replacement.

“This is a national issue practices throughout the UK are finding it difficult to replace doctors who are retiring or leaving the profession.

“We will continue our search and, in the meantime, will do our best to ensure we have some cover provided by Locum GPs.

The group adds that Dr Auld’s patients were being transferred to other GPs and that the NHS Practitioner Services Division was helping the surgery.

One of the concerns about the GP shortage is the lack of young people seeing it as an attractive career.

Indeed, only one of the Largs doctors qualified in the last decade. Dr Auld, according to their site, qualified in 1976, with a further seven qualifying between 20 and 30 years ago.