More than two-thirds of patients seen at chronic pain clinics in Forth Valley in the three months up to June had been waiting six months or more.
The startling figures have been revealed in a new Public Health Scotland report charting the state of services for patients looking for help with chronic pain.
The latest data - which covers the period from March to June this year - reveals that 107 people were seen in Forth Valley across that timeframe, with 39 of these having waited for between 25 and 27 weeks.
A further 23 of those seen had waited 28-30 weeks and another ten had been on hold for between 31 and 33 weeks.
It means that 69 per cent of patients had been waiting more than six months for help with their pain issues, compared to a national average of 18.3 per cent.
The PHS figures also show that 389 patients are still waiting for support for chronic pain problems in the region - with 80 of these patients having been on the waiting list for 22 weeks or more.
Chronic pain is defined as pain which continues for longer than 12 weeks despite medication and treatment.
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A spokesperson for NHS Forth Valley said: “More patients were being seen during this quarter compared to the previous one and the majority (87 per cent) waited less than 24 weeks for a first appointment.
“A number of additional pain management programmes have recently been introduced and capacity for one-to-one appointments has also increased.
“Patients who have experienced the longest waits continue to be prioritised and the service is already achieving targets set by the Scottish Government to eliminate long waits of more than a year for outpatient appointments ahead of the March 2023 deadline.”
Mid Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Alexander Stewart said: “These figures make truly horrific reading and are absolutely inexcusable.
“Three months ago I commented that there was the inescapable feeling that ministers and health board officials have taken their collective eye off the ball on so many pressing issues, including that of chronic pain treatment and this observation now appears to be tragically bearing fruit.
“Tired excuses such as the pandemic no longer wash as although it had presented acute difficulties for frontline staff, which I completely understand, even prior to that and its subsequent lockdown the figures simply were not good enough with 106 out of 191 Forth Valley patients waiting more than 18 weeks by the end of March 2020.
“It is even more appalling that around 69 per cent of patients who were eventually seen at a pain clinic between March and June this year had been waiting 24 weeks or more for those opportunities.”
- Have you been waiting for six months or more for an appointment at a pain clinic? Get in touch with us by emailing Stuart.McFarlane@reachplc.com
