Fife MSP says musculoskeletal waiting times are 'worrying'

Murdo Fraser has expressed alarm at the statistics and has called on Holyrood to focus on cutting the delays.

Musculoskeletal problems include painful conditions such as osteoarthiritis, rhuematoid arthritis, bone fractures, tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and fibromyalgia.

Figures released last week by Public Health Scotland showed that the number of patients waiting more than 24 weeks to receive medical help in Fife more than doubled from 185 in the quarter ending March 31 to 476 in the quarter ending June 30.

The number of patients who had to wait between nine to 12 weeks to be seen in the Kingdom also increased from 354 to 410 in the same period.

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The Conservative politician said: "The latest figures for musculoskeletal patients in Fife are very worrying.

"Of the 3,760 patients seen in the last quarter up to June 30, 1,724 were seen within four weeks, which was down from 2,008 from the previous quarter. This is shocking and must be very concerning for these patients.

"And to have the number of patients waiting more than 24 weeks more than double is utterly appalling.

"These alarming statistics fall firmly under the watch of the SNP government and underline how they need to focus on important issues like health and the NHS.

Murdo Fraser MSP says the latest figures on musculoskeletal waiting times are worrying. (Image: Shona Craven.)

"The SNP need to address issues such as the waiting times for musculoskeletal patients in Fife along with the consistently bad waiting times for patients at accident and emergency departments.

“Many musculoskeletal patients will be suffering a lot of pain in their muscles, joints and bones, and require to be seen as soon as possible – not have to wait more than 24 weeks to be seen."

Musculoskeletal conditions can affect your joints, bones and muscles and sometimes associated tissues such as your nerves.

They can range from minor injuries to long-term conditions.

The Fife Health and Social Care Partnership’s head of primary and preventative care, Lisa Cooper, said that the service is facing challenges around staff recruitment.

She commented: “Nationally and in Fife there are well documented pressures on the health care system including significant challenges around recruitment of staff.

“A national shortage of a range of allied health professions and increasing challenges in recruiting to all grades of posts across all specialities is currently impacting on waiting times.

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“Around 46 per cent of patients in Fife are seen for their first musculoskeletal appointment within four weeks times, only slightly below the national average of 47.5 per cent.

"And since musculoskeletal complaints can encompass a wide range of issues, from routine to complex needs, we prioritise those in greatest clinical need to be seen most quickly.

"But that does not mean we are in any way accepting of longer waiting times and are working as hard as we can with teams across Fife to ensure all patients requiring appointments can be seen as quickly as possible.

"A range of useful online resources have also been produced to support patients while they wait, and these are available on the NHS Fife website."