Chronic pain patients suffering in silence as virus made priority

THE coronavirus pandemic has been a ‘disaster’ for chronic pain sufferers.

Serious concerns have been raised that patients with chronic illnesses have been made to wait for treatment and left suffering in silence.

This includes those diagnosed with a number of common illnesses such as arthritis, nerve damage and back pain.

Doctors have warned that while the health service has concentrated on helping those with Covid-19 and other deadly illnesses, some patients had been left unable to access their usual treatments, including physiotherapy.

Osteopath Nick Potter told the BBC’s Morning with Kaye Adams programme that many people had been left unable to access NHS services. He said: ‘Basically unless you were dying either with Covid or something else, you didn’t get a look in.’

Although he said that online consultations had been helpful in reaching patients, this was not a perfect solution, adding: ‘Covid has separated use in a very, very sinister way, which for chronic pain patients has been a disaster...’

Chronic pain is a condition that carries on for longer than 12 weeks despite medication or treatment, according to the Scottish Government.

It affects one in five people in Scotland and can be made worse in patients also suffering from conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and back pain. Also speaking yesterday, Raven Lane, who has rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, said: ‘It’s like you’ve been put on a backburner. Just suffer in silence while we deal with every other illness.’

Nicola Sturgeon announced late last month that health centres dealing with chronic pain would reopen gradually from July 13 alongside dental practices and GP surgeries. However, the relaxation move, part of NHS ‘remobilising’, will only take place if the country enters phase 3 of lockdown easing measures by tomorrow.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman announced last month that smear tests to detect cervical cancer could finally be resumed, with women whose appointments were cancelled told to contact their GP to rearrange a screening.