The future of accident and emergency services in the West of Scotland was finally and officially settled yesterday ending years of uncertainty.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced the departments in Monklands Hospital, Lanarkshire, and Ayr Hospital, Ayrshire, would be kept and enhanced.

She said the original decisions to close the departments, taken by the regional health boards and endorsed by the previous Labour government, had "compromised the trust, faith and confidence that local people had in their NHS".

Tens of thousands of patients protested against plans to downgrade the two hospitals and campaigners welcomed their reprieve last night. However, Ms Sturgeon faced a series of questions in the Scottish Parliament, with MSPs saying the plans she had agreed would ultimately mean heart attack victims being driven past the doors of Monklands even if it was their nearest hospital.

This is because NHS Lanarkshire is planning to develop a centre offering the latest emergency treatment to reopen blocked arteries at Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride - an advance in medical care which research has shown benefits patients.

Karen Whitefield, Labour MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, told the chamber the scheme being approved would see cardiac services centralised.

She asked: "Is the failure to retain full emergency cardiac services at Monklands Hospital, a promise broken, rather than a promise kept?"

Ms Sturgeon said the "vast majority" of people having heart attacks in Airdrie would still go to Monklands, adding: "That's something they wouldn't have been able to do if her (Ms Whitefield's) party had been elected at the last election."

The original plans to downgrade the A&Es, put forward by NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Ayrshire and Arran, also included a number of improvements to community health facilities.

There has been significant concern about some of these projects being sidelined in order to keep the A&E units and deliver what was an SNP manifesto pledge.

Margaret Curran, Labour's shadow health secretary, called for a guarantee that investment would go ahead at Kilsyth health centre, Cumbernauld minor injuries unit and Lanark minor injuries unit, in Lanarkshire.

Ken Corsar, chairman of NHS Lanarkshire, said last night: "We are committed to delivering as many of our previously planned community-based health services as possible." He said the future of the planned community health projects would be discussed at a board meeting in March.

Community casualty units for Girvan, Cumnock and Irvine were among the new services promised in NHS Ayrshire and Arran's original scheme to downgrade Ayr Hospital.

Professor Bill Stevely, chairman of NHS Ayrshire and Arran, said the board would be meeting to "review and prioritise" such proposals.

He added: "The announcement today has removed any uncertainty about A&E services and will enable us to move forward with future developments within available resources."