In a shock move, North Ayrshire Council have announced they are shutting down their main care and mental health support website.

The Care & Support North Ayrshire (Carena) website will be closing down on Thursday,  August 1.

The website is run by North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (NAHSCP) and has been in operation for several years.

But the council claim it was "difficult to maintain, does not comply with UK accessibility regulations, and no longer meets the needs of our communities".

The site allowed North Ayrshire residents to search for information about organisations that deliver services, activities and support for physical and mental wellbeing across the area, as well as providing contact details.

The partnership is now recommending that anyone looking for local health, care and support services should visit the Scotland’s Service Directory section of the NHS Inform website at www.nhsinform.scot/scotlands-service-directory/.

Councillor Margaret JohnsonCouncillor Margaret Johnson (Image: NAC)

A spokesperson said: "The directory is easy to use and covers a wide range of health and support topics, which you can filter by typing in your postcode to find services near you.

"In addition, NAHSCP is appealing to organisations or community groups that provide care and support to ensure their details are included in Scotland’s Service Directory. Signing up is straightforward and can be done online via the ALISS website at www.aliss.org/add-to-aliss/"

Councillor Margaret Johnson, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care at North Ayrshire Council, said: “The decision to shut down the Carena website was made after lengthy discussions about the current suitability of the site, which is difficult to maintain, does not comply with UK accessibility regulations, and no longer meets the needs of our communities.

“We would urge anyone in North Ayrshire who runs a service or community group that delivers care and support for physical or mental wellbeing to register with ALISS to ensure that people can continue to find out about the support they can offer in our communities when searching online.”