Hundreds of heart patients in North and East Yorkshire will be spared lengthy journeys thanks to new facilities in Scarborough.

Scarborough Hospital has announced it will shortly open a centre to boost its coronary diagnosis capabilities.

The cardiac catheter laboratory will mean that the 600 patients who previously had to travel to York or Hull for treatment will now be able to find it closer to home.

Cardiologist Tim Houghton said: “This is a very significant development for the Cardiology Department and indeed the Trust.

“This facility will allow the Cardiologists at Scarborough to look at patients’ coronary arteries and recommend appropriate treatment.”

Meanwhile Ryedale and East Yorkshire residents with an interest in local health issues are being invited to become members of the region’s NHS trust.

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting people in Scarborough, Ryedale, East Yorkshire, Whitby and Bridlington, ahead of a possible merger with Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

The Scarborough trust is hoping to achieve foundation trust status, giving it more independence from central government, however it admits it “would not be able to achieve this within the given time frame” and so is working towards a merger with York.

It said the recruitment drive in the East Coast would give locals more of a say on how services are delivered.

A spokesman said: “Should it be agreed that Scarborough Trust will become part of York Teaching Hospital through York formally acquiring Scarborough, we will need people in these areas to have a say about how we develop and deliver acute hospital services.

“Members receive information from the Trust and are entitled to attend the Council of Governors public meetings.”