Waiting time for musculoskeletal patients in Ayrshire and Arran as just four in 10 seen within month

dailyrecord.co.uk:

South Scotland Regional MSP Sharon Dowey said the SNP must “step up” on musculoskeletal waiting times for Ayrshire and Arran.Her call comes after figures show just 39.2 per cent of patients were seen for a musculoskeletal appointment within the four-week target.But the SNP target states that 95 per cent of patients should receive an appointment within four weeks of a referral.The figures take in the financial quarter which ended on September 30, 2021 and have just been released by Public Health Scotland.And Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP, Sharon Dowey, said: “Musculoskeletal appointments must be a priority for this SNP Government.“Patients with diseases in their joints, bones, and ligaments can’t afford to wait to longer than four weeks for an appointment.“Health Secretary Humza Yousaf must recognise this and step up to the plate.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and Android.“Some health boards, such as NHS Grampian are seeing 80 per cent of patients within four weeks, so why are just 40 per cent being seen in Ayrshire and Arran? “The Health Secretary must provide support for all health boards in Scotland, and it’s high time that Humza stops neglecting NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Unless the SNP step in, more patients will continue waiting longer than four weeks for an appointment. “Frontline staff in NHS Ayrshire and Arran have worked so hard over the past year and