DIRECT elections to health boards will not be extended across Scotland, with NHS bosses instead being told to use alternative methods to get local people involved.

NHS Fife and NHS Dumfries and Galloway were involved in a trial in which members of the public could vote people on to the health boards.

But the turnout at the elections, held in spring 2010, was low, with the Scottish Government arguing that this was not the most effective way of involving local people.

Instead, health boards will look at how they can adapt initiatives tested in NHS Lothian and NHS Grampian to their own areas.

Grampian recruited two new board members after advertising more widely on local radio, newspapers and with flyers.

In NHS Lothian, wider advertising resulted in one new member joining the board, while another was found through the area's patient forums.

Health Secretary Alex Neil said: "These pilots have demonstrated that the most effective approach was a pro-active approach from boards to advertising and recruiting to posts. I am confident that these new measures will help to increase public engagement and improve local accountability.

"I have now asked health boards across Scotland to look at these pilots with a view to expanding their own recruitment process for health board members.

"I am confident that these measures will help to increase public engagement and improve local accountability more effectively than when we tested direct elections as part of the pilot."

Theresa Fyffe, director of the Royal College of Nursing Scotland, said: "When direct health board elections were proposed, the RCN argued consistently that other ways of engaging the public should be included in any election 'pilots'.

"We also raised our concerns about the cost of direct health board elections. The evaluation of the 'pilots' has shown that direct elections are not the best way to engage the public and we are pleased that the Government is acting on this evidence."