Murdo has said he is “concerned” at the number of chronic pain patients in Tayside who have had to wait more than a year to be seen by medical staff.
He was reacting to data released today (March 11) by Public Health Scotland which shows that 142 patients had to wait more than 52 weeks to be seen, in the quarter ending December 31. There were also six patients who had to wait between 49-51 weeks to be seen, and 5.6% who waited more than 13 weeks for an appointment.
The statistics revealed that the number of patients who waited more than 52 weeks increased from 141 in the previous quarter ending September 30, 2024.
NHS Tayside was one of the health board areas in Scotland whose chronic pain patients had the longest waits to be seen. Chronic pain is defined as pain that carries on for longer than 12 weeks despite medication or treatment.
Commenting, Murdo said: “I am very concerned by these latest quarterly figures for chronic pain for patients in Tayside. To have 142 patients having to wait more than 52 weeks to be seen is just not good enough. These are people who are in considerable pain and many of them will be suffering as a result.
“In the documents published today by Public Health Scotland they state that staff vacancies and lack of cover for long-term absence are reported as the main factors that have contributed to some patients experiencing longer waits in Tayside, Grampian, Dumfries and Galloway and Lanarkshire. While these are legitimate reasons, they are also factors that should be addressed by these health boards like NHS Tayside and also the SNP Government.”
Murdo continued: “I was pleased to read that patients in some Tayside GP surgeries were recently asked to register for a new study carried out by the University of Dundee’s School of Medicine. The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence of chronic pain which may lead to improved treatment and outcomes for those living with daily discomfort.
“Professor Lesley Colvin, Chair in Pain Medicine at the University of Dundee, said that it is estimated that around one in five people in Scotland are living with chronic pain, which is alarming. Hopefully, this study will shed some light on the difficulties faced by chronic pain patients but we also need to see action taken by the SNP Government to address these shocking waiting time figures. They appear to be burying their hands in the sand however.”
