Official Report search · Parliament Workbench

Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 29 May 2013

29 May 2013 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Chronic Pain Services

Pearson, Graeme Lab South Scotland Watch on SPTV

The NHS faces many challenges, to which it often responds by delivering positive outcomes. However, chronic pain has been and still is the ghost in the machine. Affecting thousands of Scots, chronic pain—and sometimes also severe pain—results in long-term suffering for patients, apparently without meaningful support or treatment. The presence of campaigners in the chamber reflects the dire need for support that exists in the real world.

Chronic pain—pain that continues over an extended period—is a blight on the lives of thousands of Scots, and our debate must focus on how to support the individuals and families who are affected. As the cabinet secretary acknowledged, it ought to go without saying that Scots who suffer from chronic pain should have access to the full range of available treatments here in Scotland, yet too many patients are being forced to travel to other parts of the UK for support.

Scots not getting access to the treatment that they need has been a running theme in the chamber over the past few weeks and, unfortunately, the postcode lottery of chronic pain services means that that theme is likely to continue today. The cabinet secretary acknowledged that some 800,000 Scots, including 70,000 children, suffer from chronic pain. To obtain some relief a lucky few—if we can call them lucky—have to travel 400 miles or more for specialist treatment. The cost of sending some 20 people a year to Bath in Somerset for treatment at a specialist unit runs to some £250,000. Surely that money would be better spent on providing treatment here in Scotland, and I welcome the cabinet secretary’s commitment to resolve that matter. I am concerned about how the Scottish Government plans to continue treatment arrangements such as those in Bath in an independent Scotland, but perhaps that is a debate for another day.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s “Update Report on Scottish Pain Management Services” reported that 75 per cent of the population now have access to a pain management programme. However, the report has been widely discredited—as has been mentioned—with the true statistics showing that barely 64 per cent of Scots have access to a pain management programme. Waiting times are also significantly longer than those claimed.

Dealing with chronic pain is hard enough without the Government massaging the figures and hiding the scale of the problem from the public. However, the HIS report exposed the significant variations in treatment across Scotland and noted that the majority of NHS boards provide community-based pain services, not clinician-led services.

At the moment, those who suffer from chronic pain face a postcode lottery for access to day clinics and, if they require specialist treatment, they face that 800-mile—or more—round trip to Bath. That seems ludicrous, with the travel causing additional grief and stress for the sufferers. Of course, we must not ignore the fact that chronic pain is generally not an ailment in itself; it is often an accompanying symptom of illness or injury.

The Government must ensure that root problems are catered for and dealt with by staff who understand the problems. We must achieve a balance between providing care and treatment for the underlying causes, such as arthritis, cancer and multiple sclerosis, while offering dedicated medical support to deal with the resulting chronic pain. It is important to acknowledge the Scottish Government’s promises and give credit to Alex Neil for his pledge to improve the specialist care that is on offer to Scots who suffer from chronic pain.

I close by commending the work of the cross-party group on chronic pain, particularly that of the co-conveners Jackie Baillie, John Wilson and Jackson Carlaw. They have acknowledged that minor improvements have been made during the past decade, but the well-documented major issues still need to be addressed.

I hope that, in his consultation, the cabinet secretary and his colleagues will consider carefully the recommendations from all relevant organisations to ensure that those who suffer from chronic pain have access to much-needed support and treatment. I hope that he delivers action and real services in addition to his words today. The majority of feedback seems to indicate that little has changed in the 11 years since the previous parliamentary debate on chronic pain—a debate that prompted a record level of interest. I hope that today’s debate will bring a focus on effective treatment so that we can now make it happen.

I support Jackie Baillie’s amendment.

15:36

Search Hansard contributions

Meeting of the Parliament 29 May 2013

In the same item of business