Many Argyll patients receive treatment at large centres such as Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
At the January IJB meeting, interim chief financial off cer Kirsty Flanagan was at pains to emphasise the significant financial risk resulting from a proposed increase in charges by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
According to its own figures, Argyll and Bute HSCP spent £60 million on buying hospital services from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in 2017/18 – around 23 per cent of its total spending.