Moray MP Douglas Ross has been told by the SNP Health Minister in Scotland that waiting times in his area are unacceptably high. The response came after the Moray MP had raised the case of a local constituent who had waited over six months for physiotherapy.
Douglas said: “A number of constituents have contacted me in recent months about the unacceptably long waiting lists they have had to endure for physiotherapy appointments. Earlier this month I wrote to the SNP Health Secretary, to highlight the case of a woman in Forres who was referred for physiotherapy by her GP due to severe joint pain. She had to wait five months, with the pain getting worse, before she even got a telephone assessment by the physiotherapy department at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin.
“I’ve now received a response from the SNP Minister, admitting that the waiting times for Musculoskeletal physiotherapy at NHS Grampian are unacceptably high. The letter offers the usual platitudes about how the Scottish Government is committed to the provision of high-quality health care, but we see little sign of that. The catalogue of failures in our health service continues to grow and the buck stops squarely at the SNP Scottish Government’s door.
“While I recognise that NHS Grampian has taken steps to address the physiotherapy waiting lists, too many people in Moray are still facing extremely long waits for appointments with consultants after being referred by their GP.
“Instead of constantly campaigning for another referendum to separate Scotland from the rest of the UK, the SNP need to get to grips with the issues, such as health, transport and education where their performance to date has been shocking.”