Patients in the north-east have branded attempts to cut waiting times for chronic pain sufferers a “scandal” after it emerged NHS Grampian has only spent a tiny proportion of funding allocated for the fight.
The health authority was given £4.9million by the Scottish Government to reduce waits across several areas before the spring.
But they have spent just £35,000 of that on chronic pain, despite waiting times for initial referrals to clinics currently standing at 40 weeks – more than double the 18-week target.
Pressure has now been put on NHS management to increase the priority of the pain management services.
But bosses have blamed recruitment difficulties, due to it being a “very specialist” area.
Last night, Brenda Carnegie, from Mulben near Keith, revealed she has been waiting for nearly two years to receive injections that should be administered every six months.
The former supermarket line manager has been in constant agony since 2011 after being diagnosed with degenerative disc disease – which triggers severe pain in her spine that affects her hip and legs.
The mother-of-three used to go out running three times a week and take part in regular cycling excursions but now has to take morphine twice a day to live as close to a normal life as possible.
She said: “I’m always checking to see what clinical trials to see what’s available, anything to get a bit of relief. It’s like a constant throbbing burning shooting pain in my back.
“I used to be fit, active. All that’s gone now. I have to take nine prescriptions. What kind of quality of life is that? You wouldn’t treat an animal the way I have been.
“Waiting lists should be prioritised by pain. It shouldn’t matter whether it’s an initial referral or not, they should prioritise the appointments by need.”
Statistics from NHS Grampian have revealed that the health authority has the second worst waiting times for pain clinics in Scotland – only one in three patients are seen within the 18-week target.
Return appointments do not have a target and waiting times are not published. However, NHS Scotland is currently considering whether it is possible to collect and publish the information.
Forres resident Chris Bridgeford, who founded the Affa Sair campaign group, said: “Something is scandalously wrong here.
“Clearly those responsible for the allocation of money at NHS Grampian have scant regard for pain management. Yet it is estimated there are around 95,000 sufferers in the area.
“We need categorical assurances that public money goes to where it was intended and there is proper oversight of where our money is spent.”
Miles Briggs, health spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives, added: “This is not enough, it shows a real disregard for people who are in severe pain.
“NHS Grampian needs to reconsider their funding allocation to give more consideration for this vital service.”
NHS Grampian said they are currently attempting to recruit a locum to fill a staffing gap created by maternity leave with plans also in place to begin a weekend clinic to further reduce waiting lists.
A spokeswoman said: “We continue to provide the best service we can in the current circumstances. We seek to maintain a balance in service delivery to new and review patients.
“Patients are prioritised on clinical need and if a patient’s condition changes, their GP can alert the hospital.
“The service was asked to provide plans to help reduce outpatient waiting time for pain patients. The money given is not recurring and therefore can only be used for temporary measures, such as locums.”
