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Waiting times to be seen becoming increasingly longer

Posted By Visitor1955

"Waiting times to be seen becoming increasingly longer"

About: County Community Hospital / Pain Clinic

(as a service user),

I have had experience of persistent pain for many years and had the benefit from attending a Pain Management Programme some years ago. However, since then I have had to return into the system for more help but find the waiting times to be seen becoming increasingly longer and with services trying to operate with less staff. This is having an impact on both mental and physical health of patients whose condition may well deteriorate whilst waiting to be seen. Surely there must be some way of offering support and information to people whilst they waiting for help.

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Responses

Response from Louise McInnes, Chronic Pain Service Improvement Manager, Chronic Pain Service, NHS Highland 5 months ago
We are preparing to make a change
Louise McInnes
Chronic Pain Service Improvement Manager, Chronic Pain Service,
NHS Highland

Submitted on 05/12/2024 at 10:29
Published on Care Opinion at 16:28

Thank you for raising your concerns about the Chronic Pain Service.

The Chronic Pain Service has been and continues to undergo changes in response to several drivers; including the National Framework for Pain Management in Scotland, changing evidence base and approaches to pain management, as well as staffing reductions as a result of Covid-19 remobilisation funding ceasing and ongoing cost pressures within the NHS as a whole.

Over the last 2 years appointment lengths have increased and multidisciplinary case management has become normal. The Chronic Pain service has developed packages of care and multidisciplinary interventions that enables us to increase access to a variety of pain management treatments.

We have a Chronic Pain Steering Group that meets 8 times a year, this group over-see's the strategy of the service which includes service delivery, service improvement, waiting times, staffing and risk management. The group reports into the Senior Leadership and Clinical and Care Governance Committee and has flagged staffing and increasing waits.

I appreciate that it is an unsettling time for patients to hear of changes to service delivery, especially for chronic pain patients who rely on this service for their pain management and quality of life, however we are always proactively working on service continuity and will continue to do so.

If you would like to contact our generic email nhsh.chronicpainservice@nhs.scot we would be happy to look into your journey through our service and provide you with a more detailed response.

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