PATIENTS were waiting up to 582 days for treatment for hip replacements, ankle and knee injuries across Scotland's NHS last year.

The latest ISD Scotland figures show that people requiring a primary hip replacement have had to wait 582 days; a primary knee replacement meant a wait of up to 520 days and for osteotomy surgery patients were waiting 578 days.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy which has been increasingly concerned by the impact of financial pressures in Scotland's NHS has called for action to cut the surgery waiting anomalies and in delays in after-care.

The figures show that while typical hip replacement wait times across Scotland have widened from 47 days in 2015 to 49 days last year, some health boards performed better than others.

The largest health board annual increase in average wait times for hip replacements was in NHS Lanarkshire, with patients typically waiting 70 days for surgery, a rise of 20 days. In NHS Tayside patients are typically waiting 60 days for appointments, a 20 day increase over the year, while in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde wait times have soared from 47 days to 60 days.

The Herald: Hip surgery at Southamprton General Hospital.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy also been concerned that decreases in staffing and rising demand on outpatient services for musculoskeletal disorders and has called for urgent action to address the situation.

Speaking on the latest waiting times figures Kenryck Lloyd-Jones, CSP's Scottish public affairs manager said: "Rising waiting times, both for surgery and for rehabilitation, are obviously a concern."

The CSP warned there has been an increase of 14,000 patients waiting for physiotherapy in the last twelve months. The number of patients waiting more than sixteen weeks has increased from six percent to 20 percent over the same period.

"Ultimately long waiting times are a false economy, keeping people off work and running the risk of conditions becoming chronic and more costly to treat," said Mr Lloyd-Jones "The CSP is calling on measures to reverse cuts in funding, halt the planned cuts and instead to invest in the interests of the patients the NHS, and wider economy."

Angela Donaldson-Bruce, director of Arthritis Care Scotland said more research is needed to find out why there are anomalies in the speed of care and said all patients, wherever they live, should have access to "timely and effective treatment".

“Having to wait 18 months for a joint replacement operation, particularly when the person is likely to be experiencing the pain and fatigue associated with arthritis is very concerning. I would like to hear the stories that lie behind those long waiting times, as it is important that we know more about what’s actually going on here," she said.

The Scottish Conservatives said the revelations exposed what it described as the "crisis at the heart of the NHS", with hospitals "struggling to deal with challenges brought by an ageing population".

Scottish Conservative public health spokesman Miles Briggs said: “It’s utterly unacceptable that someone should have to wait more than 500 days for this kind of procedure."

The ISD Scotland figures showed the longest waits were across hip, knee and ankle procedures and revealed further a postcode lottery in the speed in which knee procedures are carried out.

While typical wait times for knee replacements stayed static at 50 days across Scotland, in NHS Lanarkshire average waits rose from 58 days to 71 days, in NHS Tayside it went up from 53 days to 63 days and in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde waits rose from 48 to 56 days.

In February it emerged more than 49,000 in Scotland were waiting for physiotherapy, an increase of 14,000 patients in twelve months In a twelve-month period from September 2015 to Sept 2016, the number of patients waiting more than 16 weeks for physiotherapy has rose from around six percent to 20 percent of patients.

In December, the Royal College of Surgeons, warned that elderly people were needlessly suffering in pain while they wait for hip operations because care is being rationed by the NHS.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “We have been clear with all health boards that patients who are waiting for treatment such as elective surgery are seen as quickly as possible.

“We are working with NHS boards to help build up their capacity and will announce further investment to improve performance in the near future.

“Longer-term, we are also investing £200 million to create a network of five new elective and diagnostic treatment centres across Scotland.”