Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston has expressed concern about the length of time some local residents are having to wait for a referral to a chronic pain clinic in the NHS Highland health board region.
Mr Halcro Johnston said that newly released statistics covering the quarter to March 2021 showed that 39 local patients had waited a year or more for an appointment. The comparable figure, from the previous year, was just five.
“We all understand that the NHS has been operating during unprecedently challenging times during the pandemic. Nevertheless it is a real concern that some people, struggling with chronic pain, are having to wait such a long time to be seen and that compared to other regions, there seems to be a high proportion of people in the Highlands who find themselves in this position."
“The latest figures apply to the end of March so, hopefully, there has been an improvement since, but it is something I intend to raise with ministers as we can’t allow a situation like this to persist for long.”
The statistics referred to can be found here (see Tables 3 and 5 in Data Files): https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/healthcare-resources/waiting-times/chronic-pain-waiting-times/
