The online Patient Portal also allows patients to request appointments or repeat prescriptions online as well as access test results.

It also allows patients to monitor their health by recording and tracking blood sugar levels and BP, and setting targets for weight and other goals.

The Scottish government suggests this will allow patients to take more control of their health and cut down on surgery visits.

The portal will be trialled in two GP practices for six months, but health secretary Nicola Sturgeon suggests the portal scheme could eventually be rolled out across Scotland.

She said: ‘This will make life a great deal easier for patients, as well as supporting the delivery of the highest possible quality of primary care.

‘One of our most important priorities is to make patients partners in their own care, and this is exactly what the Patient Portal does.

She added: ‘This is of course a pilot project, but NHS Ayrshire and Arran's efforts may pave the way for the rest of Scotland.'