More than 400 people are waiting to be seen by an occupational therapist in Perthshire due to staff shortages.
The service has been graded a “red risk” in both the community and at Perth Royal Infirmary.
And health and social care bosses have admitted they are failing to meet targets for less urgent cases.
The figures emerged in a report to councillors this week.
Perth and Kinross health and social care partnership spokesman Kenny Ogilvy told them: “It’s not a crisis.
“But it’s certainly far from ideal.”
Hospital and community impacted by Perthshire occupational therapy risk
The report to the scrutiny and performance committee says the service at Perth Royal Infirmary is “struggling to cope”, due to increased demand and complexity of cases.
“This has been exacerbated by a number of vacancies within the service,” it went on.
“This is impacting on service resilience and staff morale, as well as on patient access to
the service for those who have not been identified as a priority.”
Mr Ogilvy briefed councillors on what a “red risk” means to patients.
He said: “When we are fully staffed we are able to have OTs (occupational therapists) aligned to individual wards at PRI.
“We are not in a position to do that.
“We are having to centralise the resource, and allocate OTs depending on the level of need and the level of risk.”
Community therapy shortages affecting several parts of Perthshire
Beyond Perth Royal infirmary, the Adult Social Work and Social Care Occupational Therapy service assesses people for aids and adaptations in their homes.
But it is currently unable to meet response times for non-urgent cases.
The report says “several of the P&K localities [are] experiencing OT staffing difficulties due to resignations”.
Mr Ogilvy told councillors the 400 people waiting be assessed for occupational therapy in Perthshire are divided into three categories.
“If you are in need of an aid or an adaptation for a critical daily activity, such as toileting, you are classed as priority one, and we are managing to respond to those,” he said.
“It is more your priority threes, which are people in need of bathing aids etc, who are waiting longer, and we are not meeting our timescale for them.”
Hopes outlook will improve
Councillors heard there are around 10 vacancies between PRI and the community service.
But bosses are hopeful that the pressure will ease soon.
Two of these posts have been held open for staff who are expected to transfer over from another team in the near future.
Mr Ogilvy said this is expected to be resolved within the next few weeks.
The other posts are being advertised.
And occupational therapy is included in a wider review of services which has been commissioned.
It’s hoped this will identify efficiencies elsewhere, which may allow chiefs to plug gaps in occupational therapy.
Partnership responds
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership said later: “There are pressures on occupational therapy in Perth and Kinross as reported as an emerging issue to the scrutiny and performance committee.
“The demand for occupational therapy across Perth and Kinross is high and vacancies are being recruited to locally.
“The Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership has actions underway to address this including redesign of services delivered by Allied Health Professionals employed across the partnership and fast-tracking recruitment to vacancies.”
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