Failure to deliver pain control to patients blamed on lack of staff and incompetence

under-funded. Over recent years the Scottish Government response has been to set up a series of steering groups that have proved to be expensive and totally ineffective. We despair at the sheer incompetence.”

The Scottish Government is now in the process of setting up its fourth steering group on pain. Three previous groups were disbanded after failing to tackle clinic shortages, despite taxpayers financing them and the Government giving an extra £1.3 million for 14 local “improvement” discussion groups.

Labour health spokesman Anas Sarwar said: “These figures are disgraceful. But further hidden waiting lists for return patients sum up how bad the problem has become – the SNP would rather keep Scotland in the dark than admit our NHS is struggling to cope.”

Miles Briggs, Conservative public health spokesman, said the situation was “deeply embarrassing” for the Scottish Government. He added: “Ministers need to get a grip urgently and intervene.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “We are working to improve the quality of care for chronic pain sufferers in Scotland and we expect patients to be seen within the most appropriate timescale for their condition.”

Asked why the fate of return patients – many thousands more – was not accounted for, the spokesman said: “We do not collect chronic pain waiting times information for return appointments, as each patient may require a different timescale for follow-up appointments, based on clinical assessment.”

The spokesman added that the waiting times data is currently “developmental”.

He said: “We are working with NHS Information Services Division and NHS Boards to address data accuracy and completeness issues.”