THOUSANDS of chronic pain patients are suffering in a “hidden national scandal” that may be Scotland’s worst waiting-times failure. 

While new chronic pain patients are given priority in a bid to meet the 
Scottish Government’s timeline of 18 weeks from referral to first treatment, return patients needing regular treatment are not being counted. 

Some have waited a year or more for treatment required every four to six months. Return patients say they are forced to suffer agony for longer as only first-time patients’ wait is shown in statistics and they are given priority.

READ MORE: Herald View: Easing the pain of NHS shortages

A Herald investigation reveals thousands of the prioritised new patients are also not treated on time, leading to claims that pain services are in overall crisis through understaffing.

Only 1,610 new patients out of 10,114 new referrals in three months – just 15.9 per cent – started treatment on time in the most recent figures, from July 1 to September 30, 2016. 

Ian Semmons, chairman of the charity Action on Pain, said: “This is a national scandal given these appalling circumstances. 

“It is time for the Scottish Government to face up to the reality that the services for chronic pain patients in Scotland are in crisis for both new and return patients due to short staffing and ineffective monitoring.” 

He blamed managers, health boards and the Scottish Government, adding: “Countless patients are being needlessly neglected by a system that is clearly not fit for purpose.”

Both new and return patients suffer from painful conditions, including severe arthritis, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, ME and spinal damage through accidents. 

The figures compiled by the Information Services Division (ISD), which handles Scottish health statistics, require detailed analysis to show the full impact on patients as it is not clear from the original presentation.

Between July and September last year, the data shows there were 5,235 new referrals. Of these new patients, 2,667 were seen by a clinician, but only 1,610 of them actually started treatment within the 18-week target time – a compliance rate of about 30 per cent. However, the true scale of the delays is worse still, as an additional 4,879 patients left over from the previous quarter – still unseen and untreated – are not included in the statistics. Added to the 5,235, this gives a total of 10,114 new patients.
ISD Scotland conceded that once these extra patients were accounted for, the true rate of patients receiving pain therapy on time halves to only 15.9 per cent. 

Professor Jim McEwen, who compiled a landmark report in 2004 urging more staffing for chronic pain clinics, said: “Thirteen years after my report, I am very sad to see from ISD statistics that there are still severe problems. This is related to inadequate resources and staffing.”

He criticised there being no mention of return patients as “this clinical area is a key way of measuring outcomes, successful or otherwise”. 

Chris Bridgeford, a pain sufferer who founded the Moray-based patient campaigning group, Affa Sair, said: “We have people despairing of their lives due to huge delays in treatment.

“While money is spent on useless and self-serving improvement groups and tickbox-loving talking shops sponsored by government, pain clinics are being starved of the necessary funding which would make the lives of thousands of chronic-pain patients eminently more bearable.” Delays of 22 months for return patients have been found in Lanarkshire.

About 800,000 people in Scotland are suffering from a long-term painful condition. The Scottish Government is spending £700,000 annually on the country’s first residential service for pain patients, nationally available and based in Glasgow for about 100 patients a year. 

Until recently, selected patients were sent as far as Bath, but Mr Semmons said it was a fraction of what is required. 

READ MORE: Chronic pain wait time scandal: 'Some people wish that they were dead'

Mr Semmons said: “It’s the day clinics, aiding tens of thousands, that are are underfunded. Over recent years the Scottish Government response has been to set up a series of steering groups that have proved to be expensive and totally ineffective.  We despair at the sheer incompetence.”

The Scottish Government is now in the process of setting up its fourth steering group on pain. Three previous groups were disbanded after failing to tackle clinic shortages, despite taxpayers financing them and the Government giving an extra £1.3 million for 14 local “improvement” discussion groups.

Labour health spokesman Anas Sarwar said: “These figures are disgraceful. But further hidden waiting lists for return patients sum up how bad the problem has become – the SNP would rather keep Scotland in the dark than admit our NHS is struggling to cope.”

Miles Briggs, Conservative public health spokesman, said the situation was “deeply embarrassing” for the Scottish Government. He added: “Ministers need to get a grip urgently and intervene.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Government  said: “We are working to improve the quality of care for chronic pain sufferers in Scotland and we expect patients to be seen within the most appropriate timescale for their condition.” 

READ MORE: Herald View: Easing the pain of NHS shortages

Asked why the fate of return patients - many thousands more - was not accounted for,  the spokesman said: “We do not collect Chronic Pain waiting times information for return appointments, as each patient may require a different timescale for follow up appointments, based on clinical assessment.” 

The spokesman added that the waiting times data is currently “developmental”. 

He said: “We are working with NHS Information Services Division and NHS Boards to address data accuracy and completeness issues”