Moray MP Douglas Ross is demanding “urgent answers” from NHS Grampian over “scandalous” waiting times for patient suffering chronic pain in his constituency.
Douglas has been contacted by several constituents who are continuing to have serious issues accessing the health board’s pain management programmes.
One constituent in Forres – Susan Beckley – had contacted Douglas after receiving a letter from NHS Grampian informing her that she has been removed from the programme, despite having already waited 15 months since being referred by her GP.
NHS Grampian say that “recruitment challenges” have meant the programme is being delivered virtually, but are now unable to offer the service to patients like Susan.
They claimed that she had been accessing services at Raigmore in Inverness and that the pain clinic was not suitable for her at this time.
However, Susan informed Douglas that she had only attended one appointment at Raigmore, in December last year.
Douglas says Susan’s situation is “all too typical” of the situation facing his Moray constituents who are lying in agony.
Another response he received from the health board last month says waiting times for those having to travel to Aberdeen is 64 weeks.
Douglas is urging SNP ministers to ensure frontline services like pain clinics in NHS Grampian are properly funded and patients like Susan know where they can turn to for support.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “The situation for many of my constituents in Moray who are lying in agony is simply scandalous.
“It is astonishing that a patient like Susan can simply be struck off the waiting list for a pain clinic programme at the stroke of a pen, when she had been referred 15 months ago.
“The dire workforce planning by successive SNP health secretaries means vital services like this are underfunded and completely short-staffed.
“The knock-on effects are being felt by suffering patients like Susan and that is why I am demanding urgent answers from NHS Grampian as to what has happened here.
“Her situation is all too typical for my constituents. Only last month NHS Grampian told me waiting times in Aberdeen for pain clinics were well over a year.
“Frontline services like these pain clinics must be properly funded by SNP ministers and patients like Susan must know where to turn to for support in their own communities.
“Right now, neither of those things are happening here in Moray which is not good enough.”
