A plan to centralise lung cancer services in Lanarkshire will ensure more patients have access to specialist doctors, it was claimed today.

The health board approved plans to reduce a three-site service of outpatient clinics to just one at Monklands Hospital in Airdrie.

Clinics are run at Hairmyres in East Kilbride, Monklands and Wishaw hospitals but there is no year-round cover of consultant oncologists from Glasgow’s Beatson centre.

The board say the centralisation will ensure patients have access to consultants and other cancer specialists 52 weeks of the year in a region that has some of the worst lung cancer rates in the world.

But union leaders said the decision was aimed at cutting costs. Mary Sampson, Unison branch secretary for the area, said: “There isn’t the same number of doctors and consultants coming through. Health boards have been finding it difficult to get the cover.”

The new centralised service is expected to be up and running by autumn. Mr Hakim Ben-Younes, consultant surgeon and clinical lead for cancer services, said: “Each year in Lanarkshire around 320 patients are diagnosed with lung cancer.

“The vast majority of these patients require the specialist opinion and services of a consultant oncologist from the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.”

All radiotherapy treatment is delivered at the Beatson Oncology Centre and the majority of chemotherapy is delivered on the three Lanarkshire hospital sites.

There are no plans to change these services under the proposals.

A spokesman for NHS Lanarkshire, said: “We will ensure appropriate communications take place with patients, GPs and the Scottish Ambulance Service. Specific issues raised by patients will be considered in detail.”