Pain shame of our waiting list
Ayrshire figures are worst in Scotland
Our chronic pain patients are facing a longer wait for treatment than anywhere else in the country, we can reveal.
Nearly 80 per cent of patients in Ayrshire are waiting more than 18 weeks for their first appointment at a clinic, according to the latest figures.
Between April and the end of July this year, 477 patients seeking an initial appointment for chronic problems waited longer than the 18 week target.
While the figures across Scotland show more than half of patients exceed the waiting time – NHS Ayrshire and Arran had the worst stats of any individual health board.
South Scotland MSP, Brian Whittle, has called for the Health Secretary Jeane Freeman to put plans in place to cut waiting times and get pain patients the support they need.
The Tory politician said: “These figures highlight the scale of the impact lockdown has had on people dealing with chronic pain.
“It’s understandable that there were delays during the peak of the pandemic but those delays cannot be allowed to become the norm.”
Mr Whittle, who is also Convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Conditions, says some patients reported they had been left with no option but to travel to England for vital treatment.
He added: “No patient in Scotland should feel like the only option left is to travel elsewhere in the UK for help.”
South Scotland Labour rival, Colin Smyth, echoed the concerns and branded the figures “simply
unacceptable”.
He said: “Chronic pain can be truly unbearable for sufferers, so accessing quick treatment is vital.
“Sadly that hasn’t been the experience for too many patients in Ayrshire and Arran and it’s a problem that’s been dragging on for years.
“The failure to make progress in reducing waiting times has left too many local patients in agony.
“Nationally, the chronic pain waiting time target hasn’t been met once since records began in 2015, yet the SNP government have not made tackling this issue a priority and that needs to change.
“We have a long term problem the Government can’t keep ignoring.
“I have tabled Parliamentary questions to the Health Secretary urging the Scottish Government to get a grip. We need a full review of these waiting times to establish what action is needed to tackle.”
A Sc o t t i s h G ov e r n m e n t spokesperson said: “We appreciate how difficult it has been for people who have had procedures or treatments postponed due to the pandemic, and for those with chronic pain whose quality of life is affected.
“Putting the NHS on an emergency footing has meant the focus has initially been on urgent and essential care including for acute and persistent pain. We are working with the NHS and partners to resume a fuller range of services as quickly and as safely as possible.
“Health boards have also offered virtual or telephone consultations to help people with pain management.
“Nationally we have produced tailored advice and guidance to help people self- manage their condition and access local and online support services.
“We remain committed to resuming the full range of pain services as quickly as it safe to do so, and NHS Ayrshire and Arran continues to remobilise chronic pain services as an urgent priority.
“We will shortly publish a Covid- 19 Recovery Framework for NHS Pain Management Services to continue to inform this activity.”
John Burns, chief executive of NHS Ayrshire & Arran, added: “Achievement of the 18- week referral target for our chronic pain service has been challenging and is reflected in our performance.
“The global coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on the capacity of the chronic pain service and we apologise to patients who are experiencing significant waiting times for this service.
“We have recently increased the number of face to face clinics the chronic pain team can undertake and we are carrying out an enhanced clinical review of the waiting list to ensure that these appointments are prioritised based on clinical need.”