Tayside and Fife patients being sent 500 miles for chronic pain treatment has been branded ”utterly unacceptable”.
Patients across Scotland who are suffering from chronic pain are being forced to make gruelling journeys to the south of England for treatment. The referrals are costing taxpayers a quarter of a million pounds each year on average.
Figures revealed that NHS Tayside has sent the most patients 500 miles to a specialist hospital in Bath because they cannot be treated by medics north of the Border.
Common types of chronic pain include chronic headaches, back pain and arthritic pain. Neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and fibromyalgia are also associated with the condition.
It emerged that 88 people have made the journey from Scotland since 2008/09 to be treated for chronic pain with a bill of nearly £1 million. The figures show 30 patients in Tayside and nine in Fife have made the journey to Somerset for treatment over the same period.
Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: ”It is utterly unacceptable that so many patients suffering from painful conditions are being forced to undergo such long, gruelling journeys for treatment, simply because our NHS is unable to treat them here in Scotland.
”Worryingly, nowhere in Scotland is this happening more than here in Tayside. Not only is this grossly unfair on patients locally, it is costing hard-pressed taxpayers dear.
”No patient in chronic pain should have to go through this. The SNP government must redouble its efforts to get this number down to zero.”
She added: “As a matter of urgency, I urge Nicola Sturgeon to investigate what can be done to provide patients with appropriate care closer to home.”
The figures revealed the cost of sending patients with chronic pain to pain management centres outside Scotland was £229,559 in 2008/09, £201,347 in 2009/10 and £313,339 in 2010/11. The cost is already £231,757 for the current financial year.
These costs are shared across all NHS boards as part of the national risk share arrangements administered by National Services Division. Boards’ contribution is calculated on their percentage share of the baseline allocation.
Health Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a scoping exercise in 2009 found insufficient evidence for an economic case to support the development of a residential pain management programme. She said this will now be reviewed by the Chronic Pain Steering Group in August.
She said: ”Patients referred to chronic pain clinics are covered by the 18 weeks referral to treatment target.”
Latest published figures for September 2011 showed that 89.8% of patients were seen and treated within 18 weeks from initial referral.
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